The Living Key
by NocturneX
Summary: Alternate Timeline: Sephiroth's destiny was forever altered when he and the last two Ancients escaped from the Shinra. When his new life is interrupted by old ghosts from the past, he decides to face his demons. Rated M for language, sex in later chapters, and descriptions of physical abuse.
1. Part 1: A Second Chance: Prologue

Prologue: Icicle Inn

The room was getting dark. He expected that, considering where he'd been shot. How could he have been so naive as to think he wouldn't be tracked down? Perhaps he should have come willingly. Maybe he would have been able to request special treatment, given everything he'd done for the company.

But it was too late for regrets. They had taken his wife and daughter, and left him lying on his living room floor to die. A rather pathetic ending for somebody who had once been considered promising...

The room was now growing colder. He knew it wasn't because of the climate.

Suddenly, he felt lighter. He stood up, not wanting to look down and see what he was leaving behind. He tried not to think of anything as he took one step forward.

One thing did manage to pop into his mind, however:

Sephiroth.

He wasn't sure why, but thinking about the boy suddenly comforted him while he took his first steps into the Lifestream.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think the Planet was reaching out to _him_ now…maybe it was.


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy In The Walls

Chapter 1: The Boy In The Walls

Eight-year-old Sephiroth stepped off the elevator leading to one of the top floors of the Shinra building. He casually glanced out the window, where he could see half of the plate that made up the upper-class side of Midgar. Though he had been born in Nibelheim(or so he'd been told), the giant metropolis that was Midgar was all he had ever been familiar with, until recently.

He had returned from a month-long trip to see all of the Western Continent. For the first time in his short life, he had ridden in a helicopter, been on a boat, and seen all of the important provinces of the large continent. He had seen the mako reactor of Nibelheim. He had traveled to Rocket Town where the first airplane had been invented by a man named Fenix Highwind(and had been introduced to his ten-year-old grandson, Cid). He had spent time on the beaches of Costa Del Sol, where he'd managed to get sunburned. He was none-too-pleased when his chaperone declared that she would have to inform Professor Hojo about said sunburn. It meant he'd likely be visiting his lab the next morning for another battery of tests. The sun, his caretaker had said, shouldn't have hurt him like it did normal people.

Normal people.

Sephiroth knew he was not "normal people". He knew that he was not _supposed_ to be "normal people". If he got injured like "normal people", it meant more testing so that he would no longer be as vulnerable next time. If he got sick like "normal people", it meant more injections, despite the fact that those usually made him feel even sicker.

The thought of having to see Professor Hojo was making him uneasy. Being in the labs with and of the doctors and scientists was bad enough, but he especially disliked Hojo. Immediately, he began trying to think of something that would keep his mind occupied until he had to face the inevitable.

Just then, his cat-like eyes lit up. Of course! He had sword training tomorrow! Kendo, Fencing, and Iaido back-to-back. The day after that, he had hand-to-hand training. Stand-up fighting ground fighting, it didn't matter. All of those things were much more fun than when he simply had to run on a treadmill for two hours each day(even if the treadmills _were_ attached to TV monitors for him to watch his favorite shows on).

"Welcome back, Sephiroth," one of the guards said, nodding politely.

"Thank you," the boy said mechanically.

"How was your vacation?"

"It wasn't a vacation," Sephiroth corrected the man, "The powers-that-be thought that it would be in my best interests to see these places. I did enjoy learning about the world, though."

"Then I'm glad you had fun," the guard said as he continued on his way.

Sephiroth watched the man for a few seconds, and then continued along the long hallway that led to his quarters. He was different from the other guards. Most of them never engaged the boy, much less did so in the friendly manner he did. It unnerved the boy a little.

Finally, he arrived at the door to the small one-bedroom apartment he lived in alone(apparently something that didn't happen to other eight-year-old boys, but just another reason he was "special", he supposed). Just as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keycard, he stopped, listening carefully.

During his time at Costa Del Sol, he and his caretaker had stayed in a hotel room next-door to a set of new parents. Their screaming baby had unfortunately, kept the boy up half the night, until at last, the caretaker had requested a new room.

There was no mistaking his very sharp ears. There was a baby crying nearby. Only it seemed even more distressed than the baby he'd heard in Costa Del Sol.

Puzzled, he decided to follow the sound.

As he drew closer, he picked up a new sound: a woman crying hysterically. He rounded a corner and saw two guards stationed outside a door. He was certain the sounds were coming from behind there.

"Move along," one of the guards said coldly.

"What's wrong with the people in there?" Sephiroth asked.

"This isn't for you to see," the guard said coldly as he roughly grabbed Sephiroth and shoved him out of the way.

Sephiroth pitched forward and instantly remembered to tuck his head down. Instead of being sent sprawling, he simply rolled forward, and back onto his feet. He glanced behind him and smirked mockingly at the guard, who was growling something under his breath.

Feeling cocky, the boy strutted over to his door. Taking his keycard out, he let himself in, and glanced at the clock. He had a few minutes to change into his training clothes, and go up to the next floor for his latest test. Unlike the ones he had to put up with in the labs, this particular test was one he did not mind at all...

* * *

Sephiroth hurried as fast as he could through the tunnel. He may have been an incredibly fast runner, but he was having a lot of trouble maintaining a satisfactory speed while moving close to the ground. He would have to double his efforts once he got out of the tunnel.

Finally, he reached the end, and kicked the grate down. He crawled into a hallway that looked to be in utter chaos. Emergency lights were flashing, sirens were going off, and there was blood smeared on the walls. A couple of bodies lay slumped on the floor. Sephiroth growled in frustration. He was supposed to have protected those people. He had arrived too late!

He continued to look carefully around the area, his senses heightened. The faint sound his ears picked up on made him spin around, and he grinned at what he saw.

An enemy soldier charged at him, ready to grab him. Sephiroth was ready, though. He tipped over, tucking his head down, and managed to roll right through the soldier's legs. He got back to his feet, and kept running. He managed to do the same thing with the next one that came his way, only this time, he rolled around his enemy. When the third soldier charged at him, he ran up the side of the wall and flipped backwards, executing a side-kick that sent his target sprawling. The final one, he was simply able to outrun, and with that, he was able to make it to the goal.

The room suddenly changed from a long corridor with emergency lights flashing and blood splattered along the walls, to a plain, empty hallway.

"Not bad, Sephiroth," the technician/trainer said over the loudspeaker, "Especially that side-kick. Hand-to-hand combat is already starting to pay off. At this rate, you'll have a sword in your hand by the end of the month when you do these field tests!"

Sephiroth smirked, trying hard not to show how excited he really was.

"I had to dock points off for the tunnel performance. I'll have to let your regular trainer know what's going on as well. You're having a lot of trouble crawling through. I'm sure it's nothing some extra practice can't fix, though."

Sephiroth nodded, having expected that.

"Good thing it'll be a few years before you ever see your first real battle," said the technician, "When the time comes, I'm sure you'll save a lot of people's lives.

"Anyway, I think we're done for the day. You must be pretty hungry after such a workout. You deserve it, though."

The door opened, and Sephiroth sprinted out.

He made his way to the elevator, and saw the guard who had asked him about his trip earlier. He was waiting there, along with President Shinra himself.

"Ah, Sephiroth," the president greeted him, "I'd like you to meet your new bodyguard."

"Aren't Turks supposed to be bodyguards?" Sephiroth asked.

"I thought a member of SOLDIER might be a better role-model for you, considering your future here," the president explained, "Have you met this man?"

"Sort of," said Sephiroth.

"My name's Wolff," the guard said, extending his hand to Sephiroth.

The boy shook it. "Nice to formally meet you," he said politely.

"I hope the both of you will get along splendidly," said the president, "and that Wolff here will prove to be a good mentor. Feel free to ask him anything about soldier life. Hopefully he can also keep you out of trouble, hmm? I know boys your age start to get curious about everything around them. Best not to poke your nose everywhere, though, right?"

The room with the screaming woman. Of course.

"Well, I'll be off, now." the president said with a wink, and nodded approvingly at the guard's salute.

_Jerk__…_Sephiroth thought as he glared at the president's retreating overweight figure.

President Shinra left. The door opened, and Wolff and Sephiroth got in. They rode the elevator in silence.

Sephiroth had only met the president a handful of times, but he did not like the man at all. He found him to be patronizing, two-faced, and slimy. He often acted like he was everybody's best friend, even though it was obvious to anyone with a brain, that the man clearly had his own agenda. To act like he was looking out for everyone's best interest, especially Sephiroth's, was simply insulting one's intelligence.

At least Hojo didn't put on any act. Everyone knew that Hojo looked out for Hojo. At least Sephiroth could respect that kind of honesty…barely.

Finally, the doors opened and they stepped out.

"Is Wolff your first name, or last name?" Sephiroth asked.

"First."

"In the old days," Sephiroth remarked, "members of the army were addressed by their last names."

"Ever since the president took over from his father," Wolff explained, "the army became much less formal. I guess it gives off a sense of approachability. I'm not sure if it actually works, though. Plenty of people are still scared of me when they see me in my reds."

"So what's your last name, then?" Sephiroth asked curiously.

"Gainsborough," Wolff replied, "Wolff Gainsborough."

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty."

"You think you'll ever make it to first class?"

"I hope so. Elmyra, my fiancee, doesn't believe in daycare, which means I need to be bringing home the big bucks if we ever want kids."

Sephiroth didn't quite understand that last answer, but nodded anyway as they stopped at the entrance to the gym. "This is where I get off."

"Okay. I'll be waiting when you come out," Wolff told him.

Sephiroth nodded again as he opened the door.

"And Sephiroth?"

The boy paused, looking expectantly at his new bodyguard/mentor.

"I hope we can become good friends."

"Maybe," Sephiroth said matter-of-factly, "I've never had any friends before, so that might be interesting."

_Poor kid__…_Wolff thought as Sephiroth entered the gym.

* * *

Sephiroth glanced at the clock. It was an hour before his bedtime, during which his caretakers would make sure he had brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, and was in bed. Then his door was locked from the outside for the next eight hours. That would give him plenty of time to do what he planned.

He had already checked out the space behind the air vent in his room. There was a tunnel exactly like the one in the simulation he had done earlier that day. For all he knew, it was probably modeled after the very same tunnels in the Shinra building. He was going to practice crawling quickly and quietly through the ventilation tunnel. However, he decided to wait at least an hour after "lights out" to make his move.

He decided to kill some time by reading a book by flashlight. It was an account of the cities that the Ancients had built over two-thousand years ago. The hero, Galeas, was a powerful wizard who commanded all of the elements. He had commanded beasts to protect him, and became the leader of an advanced city.

Fairy tales, according to Hojo. For some reason, that man couldn't seem to keep his nose out of Sephiroth's personal life, right down to his tastes in literature. It didn't mean anything, though. Hojo could say what he wanted, but he didn't control what Sephiroth read, which was just fine with the boy.

Finally, he glanced up the clock, and saw it was time. He put the book down, got out of bed, and listened for a moment, making sure nothing suspicious was going on. After a few seconds, he was confident that everything was just fine. He went over to the grate on his wall, and pulled it off as quietly as he could manage. Crawling inside, he pulled the grate back into place, and began his journey through the walls.

Unlike the simulator, this tunnel was dark, and extremely dusty. Neither of these things bothered the child, however. His enhanced eyes could see every outline just as clearly as if it had been daytime, and he simply pulled his shirt over his nose to filter the dust out.

He nearly jumped, however, when he heard a loud, clanging sound. Looking around slightly panicked at first, he then realized it was simply the water heater clanging above him. The pipes must have been constructed right above the vent. He shook his head, and resumed crawling.

Rounding a corner, he stopped as he saw how the tunnel now stretched out…exactly the same as in the simulation.

Perfect.

Sephiroth was just about to start counting while he took off, when his ears picked up another sound. He crawled up to another grate and lay still, listening carefully.

It sounded like a woman crying. He suspected it might have been the woman he had heard screaming earlier that day.

He peered carefully through the grate. He couldn't see anyone, but it sounded as if the woman was right next to him. Against his better judgment, he spoke out to her:

"Are you okay?"

As soon as he asked, he felt stupid. The woman was _crying_ for Planet's sake! Of course she wasn't all right!

"Who's there?" he heard her ask.

"Don't worry…" he said, "I'm not a guard or anything."

The woman laughed nervously, in spite of herself.

"Well, you sound a little young to be a guard."

"I'm behind the grate leading to the vents. Is anyone there with you?"

"Just me and Aerith," the woman said, "Although I know there's guards stationed outside the door."

"Do you mind if I come in?" Sephiroth asked, "I'll be quiet."

"All right," the woman said.

Sephiroth pushed the grate down, still managing to make as little noise as possible. He crawled through, and got to his feet. He looked and saw a young woman with long brown hair lying on a bed, hastily wiping her green eyes, that seemed to almost glow slightly, though not in the same way his did. She tried to sit up, but she could barely manage to lean up against the two pillows she had propped up against the wall.

"There's a pitcher of water on the desk over there…" she said pointing across the room, "I'm too weak to get it myself…could you please…?"

Sephiroth tip-toed over to the pitcher and poured a glass of water. He then tip-toed back to the bed and handed her the glass.

"Thank you…" the woman said weakly as she began to drink. When she finished, she put the empty glass on a small nightstand near her bed. "My name is Ifalna. What's yours?"

"Sephiroth," the boy answered, "Is the baby okay? She sounded like she was in pain earlier. I could hear her crying from my room."

"She was," Ifalna said as she glanced at the cradle, "They really hurt her this afternoon…but it's over now."

"I hate most of the scientists here," Sephiroth muttered, "They probably made me cry like that when I was a baby as well. Hojo's the worst. He's no scientist. He's a hack compared to Professor Gast."

Ifalna suddenly burst into tears again.

"Are you in pain?" Sephiroth asked, not knowing what to do, and feeling slightly awkward.

"Gast was my husband…" the woman sobbed, "Hojo had him shot when he wouldn't let them take us…they took us anyway. Oh, my sweet professor…!"

"He's dead?!" Sephiroth whispered in horror, "No! That's not fair! Why?!"

He sank to the ground, blinking back tears of his own, trying as hard as he could not to let them fall.

Aerith began gurgling.

"He's the baby's father, then?" Sephiroth sniffled.

"Yes…I can't even hold her right now. I don't know what it is they injected me with, but I'm so dizzy…"

Aerith began to fuss.

"I can push the cradle over to you if you want," Sephiroth offered as he stood up and wiped his eyes.

"Thank you so much…" Ifalna looked grateful, "You've been so helpful."

Sephiroth said nothing, but pushed the cradle right next to Ifalna's bed. The woman reached in and touched the infant's cheek. Aerith quieted down.

"I should go now…" he whispered, "I'm supposed to be sleeping."

Ifalna stared at Sephiroth for a moment, and then reached for him, clumsily pulling him into a tight hug.

"You're a sweet boy…" she whispered, "Don't ever let them change you."

Sephiroth stood there awkwardly not sure how to respond. Nobody had ever hugged him before.

"Thank you again for the water, and for bringing Aerith over to me."

"It was nothing," Sephiroth whispered as he climbed back into the vent, pulling the grate back in it's place. He then began making his way back to his room.

* * *

"I was told about the sunburn you experienced on your trip," said Hojo as Sephiroth entered the examination room the next morning.

Sephiroth didn't answer, simply taking off his shirt and looking for his usual gown.

"Don't bother," said Hojo, "I don't need to give you a full exam. I'm quite confident this will help…"

He handed the boy a bottle with no label.

"Just rub it on your afflicted skin like any lotion and you'll be fine. We'll do a skin biopsy during your next check-up to take care of your sunburn once and for all."

Sephiroth remained silent. He always avoided speaking to Hojo unless asked a direct question, but ever since Ifalna had told him about Professor Gast's death, the boy had begun to smell a rat. He spoken to the phlebotomist who came into his room every morning before breakfast to do blood work. When asked about Professor Gast, the woman confirmed that he had indeed passed away…of a heart attack. She didn't seem to be lying to him, but when he had pressed for more information, she had confessed that it was Professor Hojo who had sent the memo out.

He planned to see Ifalna again and ask for more details, but he wasn't sure when. If he didn't get enough sleep, it would start to show, and he rather enjoyed his excursion through the vents. It was exactly like the simulation, and if it meant he would get a little more practice and do even better, he had all the reason to keep doing it.

It wasn't like he was cheating…right?

"We're done for now," said Hojo, "You may leave. Rub the lotion on the burned areas once every four hours. I'll advise your trainers as well so you won't forget. Hopefully the burns will be gone by tomorrow morning."

Sephiroth stood up and left.

"You're welcome!" Hojo snapped.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers!

Destinykeyblade: I've fixed the plot a little and made it a tad more realistic(hopefully).

Guest: Thanks! I'm a fan of the pairing as well, so long as it happens realistically. Too many crappy stories have them falling in love almost instantly, even after he's killed her and they're in the Lifestream together. _ Altered timeline stories work better for me, and I'm always curious to see how they affect the main plot(usually, it means Zack and Aerith live :D). That's what I intend do to here, and see where the other characters come in.


	3. Chapter 2: The Crack In The Armor

Chapter 2: The Crack In The Armor

"Faster!" Sephiroth's fitness trainer barked as the boy ran on the treadmill.

Sephiroth panted as he tried to catch up to the speed that the trainer had raised the machine to. Nearby, Wolff was beginning to look uncomfortable, but he kept his mouth shut and maintained his post by the door.

They had already spent an entire hour working on army crawls, so as to improve his timing when he did his next weekly simulation. If Sephiroth had been disappointed at his inability to make good time during the tunnel part of the simulation, his fitness trainer had been downright livid. Wolff knew the reason why. He had heard the rumors that the former Shinra SOLDIER's job as Sephiroth's trainer was constantly being threatened whenever the boy didn't perform up to standard. Although as far as Wolff was concerned, the man should have never been employed in the first place. Even though he had once been among the army's best, he had ultimately been discharged from duty three years ago, when he had nearly killed one of his subordinates in a fit of rage after a mission that had gone wrong. Why they decided to hire him to train a little boy seemed beyond all reasoning.

Wolff was only now starting to realize how many things were beyond reasoning. At first he had been excited to know how much security clearance he was getting with his new position in SOLDIER. Now, he could see the worried look on Elmyra's face every time he would show up at her grandmother's house to take her out to on a date. He wanted so badly to tell her what was going on, but he knew he was expected to keep Shinra's secrets. His paycheck depended on that, and he was beginning to suspect that his life very well might depend on it as well.

The door opened, and two MPs ushered Ifalna inside.

"What's this?" the fitness trainer demanded as he stormed over to them, "We have the room reserved for the next hour. No distractions!"

"Professor Hojo was concerned that the subject needed exercise if she's to keep up with her testing regiment," one of the MPs, a short, impatient-looking man explained curtly. "You have a problem, you take it up with him."

"Keep her on the other side of the room," the trainer growled as he stormed back to where Sephiroth was still running, "What the hell are you looking at, kid?! Eyes forward! She's nothing, do you understand?"

Sephiroth silently obeyed.

"Here…" the trainer pressed a button, "You're doing fine at that speed. We'll add another mile per hour."

Sephiroth stumbled slightly as he tried to adjust to the speed. Suddenly, the heart monitor that was attached to his chest began beeping.

"Ignore that," his trainer barked, "Keep going!"

Sephiroth managed to keep running for half a minute before he began to feel faint. Without warning, he pitched forward, and the treadmill sent him flying backwards, crashing into a large barbell.

"Sephiroth!" Wolff cried out, alarmed. He ran over to the boy, who was now bleeding from the back of his head. "Can you hear me?"

The boy tried to speak, but found it difficult to form the words with his mouth. He could hear Wolff and the trainer began to argue. He also heard shouts, and footsteps rapidly approaching him. A pair of hands gently touched his head. A warm sensation washed over Sephiroth, and he opened his eyes a few seconds later.

"-Just trying to help the poor kid!" he could hear Ifalna protesting loudly as two MPs dragged her away, "He was exhausted, for Planet's sake!"

Sephiroth winced as he saw the shorter MP raise his rifle and strike Ifalna's face with the butt of it. The woman went down instantly, smacking her head against the wall.

"Leave her alone!" he yelled, having found his voice again.

The MP glared at him.

"Sephiroth's right," said Wolff, "There's no need to use unnecessary force. Ma'am, are you okay?"

Ifalna stumbled to her feet and clutched her nose, which was now bleeding. She nodded, regardless.

"I doubt your supervisors want to see this woman injured, let alone by you," said Wolff, "I don't want to have to report you."

"Let's just get the hell out of here," the other MP said to his partner, who nodded in agreement. They hauled Ifalna out of the exercise room.

"You alright, Sephiroth?" Wolff asked, "Can you stand?"

The boy nodded as he got back to his feet.

"I'll let everyone know what's happened," he said as he pulled out his phone, "Let's get you back to your room so you can rest."

"I'm fine," Sephiroth insisted, "I'd have to be bleeding to death to not be able to make it to my lessons, training…anything. It's not the first time I've collapsed like that before."

No, it was only the first time anybody had gone out of their way to help him the way Ifalna had. And look what that had gotten her.

* * *

Ifalna lay in her bed that night, trying to sleep. Her head no longer hurt, but she still felt slightly dizzy. Every time she tried to close her eyes, the room seemed to give out from underneath. She should have expected something like this to happen when she chose to get involved. She knew that she'd do it again in a heartbeat, though. How could she just ignore that poor child?

Speak of the devil. Ifalna could hear him shuffling through the tunnel, and finally approach the grate.

"You're not moving as quietly as you did the last time you came to visit," Ifalna said quietly.

"I've got no reason to hide from you," Sephiroth replied from inside the vent.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Would you like to come in?"

"Why did you heal me?" Sephiroth asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Ifalna replied as she got out of bed and crouched near the grate. "You were hurt. I couldn't just ignore that!"

Sephiroth said nothing, but stared at the strange woman for a moment.

"That doesn't make sense…" he muttered.

"Doesn't it?" Ifalna asked, tilting her head as she looked at the boy, "Well…maybe not. After all, it's easy to just go about your day and ignore people, right? That's how most people usually operate. Sure, maybe they're paid to care…but me? I'm just a prisoner here. I risked being punished to help someone I'd only just met the other day. I even took a blow to the head for you. I _must_ be crazy, huh?"

She widened her eyes as if to emphasize her point, and then realized just how that might come across to the boy. Immediately, she shut her eyes and turned away guiltily.

"Sorry…" she whispered, hoping that the child wouldn't turn around and leave.

Sephiroth kept staring at her, his face remaining completely neutral, and Ifalna wondered how much of that was natural, and how much was through his own efforts

"You said it…not me…" he said finally.

"Maybe…" Ifalna suggested, "there's more to people than you think. Maybe Shinra only has certain types of people to offer. It's a big, big world outside of this dreary building, Sephiroth. I just hope that by the time you're allowed to experience it, that you haven't completely closed yourself off..."

Again, she stopped and kicked herself mentally for saying too much too quickly. _None of the ancient tomes they forced me to decipher ever said anything about Cetra healing being effective on diarrhea of the mouth..._

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked, leaning in as far as the grate would allow him.

"You've noticed it," Ifalna remarked, "You know there's something about this company that's just…wrong. Why would they force a little boy to run on a treadmill until he collapses? Why would they put him in the kind of danger they do? What's worse, their plan is to do that to thousands of other young people. An army of children, in a society that claims to be so advanced and civilized."

"It's because of me," said Sephiroth, "Professor Hojo always says that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. If it works for me, the rest of the science department works on making it work for anybody my age. The president always says that everyone is depending on me."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Ifalna sighed.

"What can I do about it?" Sephiroth protested, "I'm just a kid."

"Right now, maybe you can't do anything," said Ifalna, "But that doesn't mean you can't do something eventually. Don't give up. Don't _ever_ give up. I tell Aerith that every night because I want her to always have hope…even if she has to grow up having never seen the sun."

Sephiroth shook his head in wonder.

"I've never met anyone like you," he sighed.

Ifalna smiled sadly. "That's what Professor Gast said to me."

"I trusted that man," said Sephiroth, "but now he's gone. I don't know what I'm going to do now."

"There are still people here that you can trust," said Ifalna, "I'm sure he wanted you to realize that."

Sephiroth looked extremely troubled.

"I should go," he said finally.

"I'm glad you're all right," said Ifalna.

The boy nodded silently as he quietly turned himself around, and began to crawl away.

* * *

"Why do I have to be here again?" Sephiroth asked the next morning as he sat in a chair in one of the labs. "They already checked me out last night and said I don't have a concussion."

"You weren't healed by materia," Hojo replied as he looked at the vial that had just been filled with Sephiroth's blood. "I want to see if there were any changes to your system as a result. It's a pity that I had the evening off last night. Had I heard about this unfortunate incident sooner, I'd have examined you right after it had happened."

"How can someone heal me without materia or potions?" Sephiroth asked.

"Like you, the woman has certain gifts that we're trying to use to benefit the world," Hojo answered. "We're done for now, but I'll say this for your benefit: stay away from that woman. She's a troublemaker. She's nowhere near as cooperative as you are. We need her abilities, but if it weren't for that, I'd just as soon never see her again. And as for your bodyguard, I've already informed him that he needs to mind his own business. He's here to take care of you, and you alone. You may go now."

* * *

"Hojo wants me to stay away from you," Sephiroth announced as he sat in Ifalna's room later that night.

Ifalna smirked. "And so you respond by coming to visit me again?"

"…I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, looking around the room, "I…just like coming to see you."

"I'm glad," said Ifalna, "Because I like it when you stop by. It's rather boring here, just me and Aerith."

"You don't talk to the guards? Obviously not the one who hit you, but there's others."

"Most of them have an ulterior motive," said Ifalna. She raised her eyebrow at Sephiroth. "That one guard who seemed to be looking after you, however…"

"Wolff? What about him?"

"I can read people, Seph. Don't ask me how, I just can. I can read him, and it's a good reading."

"My name is _Sephiroth_," the boy corrected her.

"Kind of a mouthful, don't you think?" Ifalna teased.

Sephiroth sighed in frustration.

"Well, I suppose it's better than calling me 'freak'…" he muttered, "Do you really think I can trust him?"

Ifalna sighed at the thought of an eight-year-old being given such a demeaning label. She briefly wondered if this was what fate had in store for Aerith as well.

_Not if I can help it__…_she decided.

"Yes," she said at last, "You can trust me as well."

Sephiroth frowned. "I'll think about it," he said.

Ifalna chuckled. "Fair enough."

Aerith began to fuss.

"Can I hold her?" Sephiroth asked suddenly.

Ifalna smiled. "Of course you can. Here…"

She lifted the baby out of the cradle and handed her over to the boy, guiding his hands so he was cradling her head properly.

"Her neck isn't very strong yet," Ifalna explained, "So always remember to hold her head just like you're doing now."

"Good thing she's not meant to be a super-soldier," Sephiroth said with a sigh, "Or else Hojo would probably do stuff to her to make sure her neck _did_ get strong. He's such…an asshole."

Ifalna frowned. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of language here."

Sephiroth lowered his head. "Sorry…"

"However…" Ifalna said with a smirk, "I agree with you completely."

Sephiroth smiled back.

"Wow…" Ifalna marveled, "She's quieted down. Usually she cries if anyone else holds her. She must really trust you."

"I figured babies didn't know how to trust people," said Sephiroth.

"I think they know just fine," said Ifalna, "Especially Aerith. We can both sense things about people."

"And that's another reason why you're stuck here?" Sephiroth guessed, "I mean, healing without materia…I could see them forcing you to be in the trenches healing everyone."

"Oh, no," Ifalna said, tilting her head and scowling at the thought, "Too much risk of me getting killed. Hojo would never stand for it. Anyway, blue isn't really my color."

"Maybe they'll keep you at second class," Sephiroth quipped.

Ifalna leaned over and peered at the boy, a slightly amused smile spreading across her face.

"Was that a joke you actually made?" she teased.

"Maybe…" Sephiroth said noncommittally, "But you said you can sense things about people. I'm curious now: what do you sense about me?"

Ifalna regarded the boy solemnly for a moment. Then she spoke:

"You're designed to do some amazing things, Sephiroth. But the people who are doing the designing…I can't warn you enough to be careful. The Shinra…they're doing terrible things to the Planet, and the people. If they have their way, they would have you cooperating with them, and making things worse. But, if you don't lose yourself…maybe you could do some amazing things…things that could undo what's been done…"

She then stopped, noting the blank look on the boy's face. She was losing him now. Ifalna sighed, forced a smile, and continued:

"You don't have to make any decisions today. Or tomorrow…not next week…not next year. I'm just asking you to remember what I'm trying to say to you…even if it's probably coming out all wrong…" she trailed off and laughed ruefully. "Faremis was the gifted speaker…not me."

"He made a lot more sense than you do."

Ifalna laughed again. "Well, I appreciate your honesty."

"But…" Sephiroth looked down, "…as long as I'm here…they would have me do what they want. Which means…"

He looked at the baby, thinking hard for a moment. Then, before he could say anything, Ifalna spoke resignedly:

"I guess we'll just have to see what happens, huh?"

Sephiroth looked up at her, noting how dull and tired her green eyes seemed. Immediately he averted his gaze, unable to look at her in that state.

Why did he keep coming back here? Why was he drawn to this woman who seemed to be a glutton for punishment? Why, other than the fact that she had married Professor Gast and had a child with him?

"I like this show…" he said finally, noting the TV program that was on.

"It's interesting…" Ifalna agreed, not wanting to burden the boy any further.

Nothing more was said between them. Sephiroth spent the next half-hour watching TV with Ifalna and holding Aerith. Finally, he excused himself, climbed back into the vent, replaced the grate, and made his way back to his room.

* * *

A/N:

JazzQueen: Hojo being Sephiroth's father just MIGHT be the final straw for him and the Shinra…stay tuned… ;)

destinykeyblade: Thanks again for the heads up. Lesson learned: never edit a story on your iPhone.


	4. Chapter 3: The Discovery

Chapter 3: The Discovery

Thirteen-year-old Sephiroth smirked at his reflection in the water. He could hear the loud buzzing sound of the approaching monster from a good thirty feet away, and instantly recognized it.

_Kimara Bug. Known for its web attack that can bind its victim, allowing it to strike. Easily overtaken with manipulate materia._

Sephiroth didn't have any of the aforementioned yellow orbs. No matter, though. He was perfectly content to deliver a good old-fashioned sword-slashing attack. Materia would only be a waste on something so pathetic.

Not wasting anymore time, he quickly spun around and swung his new sword, cleanly severing the monster's head. He looked at the weapon, satisfied. The cut had been so quick, so clean, that despite the pool of blood growing around the body, there wasn't a single drop on the blade.

"This is Masamune. It was forged especially for you, Sephiroth," the director of SOLDIER had declared as he handed the extra long odachi to the boy, "Use it well."

That had been two months ago, and so far, Sephiroth was doing just that. He had received the new sword right before being sent on his very first mission: to patrol the area while Shinra built a reactor in a small town known as Gongaga. Thus far, he was pleased with the way things were going. He found that he liked his fellow members of SOLDIER; boys who were about five-to-seven years older than he was. They were bright-eyed, eager, and nowhere near as two-faced as the Shinra suits and scientists were.

"This is so cool…" he had heard one second-class saying to the other, "I grew up here, y'know, and all there is around here is farming. You want fun, you learn how to fish and hunt. Problem with that is the monsters. There's at least ten deaths a year out here from people getting ripped to shreds by some Grand Horn or Gagighandi. Now with the reactor, we'll all save enough money on energy to be able to buy TVs as big as the ones in the rec room at the base! Maybe even a few arcades. And then maybe a big wall with security cameras to warn us if monsters are coming. How neat would that be?"

"SOLDIER will get to be so huge, the monsters will eventually become extinct!" he recalled another squad-mate saying, "We'll kill 'em all!"

Sephiroth smiled as he recalled that conversation. He remembered what Ifalna had said about the big world outside, and about people on the outside being different. For so long, he had been hesitant to believe her, and Wolff(who would tell him the same thing), but now, he seemed to be getting proof that they were right. Younger people were certainly more tolerable to be around, at least. Even Wolff and Ifalna were young compared to the people in charge over at Shinra.

Today was the last day of his assignment. Despite the fact that it would be several more months before the reactor was fully-functioning, the powers-that-be had decided they wanted to send him somewhere more challenging. Where that would be, he hadn't been told yet. All he knew was that he would be back at headquarters this time tomorrow.

He couldn't help but shake his head and smile again. Aerith would be demanding lots of stories, and she likely wouldn't leave his side for as long as she could help it. This was the longest he had ever spent away from Midgar, and away from his "two favorite ladies", as Wolff referred to them as.

Just then, his watch went off. It was now two p.m., which meant his shift outside the perimeter was up. Glancing around and listening carefully to make sure there were no other monsters, he stayed where he was for a few seconds. Then, deciding everything was fine, he began to make his way back to the construction site.

* * *

The area was surrounded by at least twenty construction workers, and ten members of SOLDIER. Behind the barriers that had been erected to keep the townsfolk out, were several curious villagers watching everything that was going on.

"Welcome back, Sephiroth," Wolff greeted him as the two saluted each other, "Anything to report?"

"Nothing except a Kimara Bug and a couple of mutant frogs, sir." Sephiroth replied.

"Ah, yes. The villagers call them 'Touch Me' monsters. Careful- you remember what happened to Beckett last week."

Sephiroth nodded. One of his squad-mates had been transformed into a frog by the monster's spell. Fortunately, there had been plenty of remedies available, but the damage to the boy's reputation had been done. Everyone now called him "Private Ribbit-Ribbit".

"Looks like it's time for your lunch break," said Wolff, "Dismissed!"

Sephiroth saluted the superior officer again, and turned around, about to head toward his tent.

Suddenly, a little boy with closely cropped black hair came running from out of the main village. He dove underneath one of the barriers set up to keep the townspeople away, and rolled to his feet. He giggled and looked around, his eyes wide with wonder at the size of the reactor's skeleton.

"Zack Fair, you get back here this minute!" a young woman shrieked as she came running from the same area. She stopped at the barrier and shook her fist angrily.

"You're not my mom!" the little boy shouted at her.

Sephiroth snickered softly as he watched the spectacle.

"You can't catch me!" Zack sang out.

"I'm warning you, Zack!"

The boy ignored her as he weaved around the construction workers, who were now getting irritated.

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

"Lady, control your little brother!"

"He's _not_ my brother!" the woman protested, "Thank Gaia!"

"Heads up!" someone shouted in a panicked voice.

Sephiroth looked up to see a large piece of heavy sheet metal slide off of the frame of the roof, picking up speed as it fell. In a split-second, he realized the giant object was headed straight toward Zack, who was completely unaware of the danger he was in.

He sped over to the boy, grabbed him with his right hand, and held up his left hand, his palm facing upwards. The large sheet of metal landed hard on the youth's hand, bouncing off and tumbling to the ground. He looked down at the child and saw him frozen, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked.

"Yes…" the boy whimpered.

"Oh my god!" the young woman exclaimed as she rushed over and took Zack's face in her hands, looking him over and making sure he was all right. "Zack, you could've been killed! See why I told you not to run off? I'm not just trying to be some mean babysitter!"

The little boy threw his arms around his sitter and began to cry. Sephiroth stepped away as the girl led him away from the area, consoling him.

Before they reached the back main part of the village, Zack turned around and looked shamefacedly at Sephiroth.

"Thank you for saving me…" he hiccupped.

Sephiroth tried forcing a friendly smile, though he knew it probably looked awkward and strange. "Don't worry about it. Just be careful, okay? This place isn't for kids."

Zack nodded and turned around. He and his sitter walked off, disappearing into the village.

Suddenly, Sephiroth was surrounded by the members of his squad, all of them clapping him on the back and praising him.

"Hey, check out the hero!"

"That was _awesome_, man!"

"You're so freaking fast!"

"He'd have been killed if it weren't for you!"

"Alright, alright!" Wolff said loudly as he broke up the group, "Yes, that was amazing, but back to work now, alright?"

The crowd dispersed amidst a chorus of "Yes, sir!" and everyone went back to their respective posts.

"I'm inclined to let the president know about this," said Wolff, "He'd love that kind of publicity."

"Whatever…" Sephiroth muttered, embarrassed at all of the attention. He then hastily added: "…sir."

"Hey, I'm only trying to make your life easier," Wolff gently chided the boy, "The better you come off, the more they'll reward you."

"I know, sir."

"You planning on telling your lady-friends about this?" Wolff teased.

"I dunno…" Sephiroth sighed impatiently.

Wolff saw the look on the boy's face and decided to back off. After five years, he liked to think he was making a bit of headway with the boy, although he was beginning to suspect a good chunk of Sephiroth's personality was nature rather than nurture.

No matter, though. He was doing his part, just as the woman, Ifalna, seemed to be doing hers. And even though little Aerith was only five, she clearly had grown on Sephiroth. The boy seemed comfortable showing his tender side toward the little girl(and only her), often spending time with her.

Hojo had tried several times over the years to dissuade the relationship Sephiroth had with the two specimens, but to no avail. He could no more convince the boy to stop spending time with the Cetra and her daughter than he could convince him to cut his hair, which was beginning to reach his shoulders.

"One day, an enemy will grab a hold of that hair and slit your throat," Hojo had warned him more than once.

However, much to the scientist's chagrin, the president was beginning to get in the way of his handling Sephiroth.

"Pick your battles, Hojo," the corpulent CEO was fond of saying, "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

And thus, Sephiroth was free to visit with Ifalna and Aerith during his free time.

"Go eat your lunch," Wolff reminded the boy.

"Sir." Sephiroth saluted Wolff again and headed for his tent.

* * *

"Sephiroth!" Aerith greeted him excitedly the next day as he entered the rec. room. She ran from her nurse, jumping into Sephiroth's arms.

"Miss me?" Sephiroth teased.

Aerith nodded eagerly. "Did you fight any monsters?"

"I did," the youth said as he set the five-year-old girl down and began rummaging in his pocket. "And I had this made for you…"

He dug out a string pendant with a single black tusk in the middle. Aerith's eyes widened in excitement as she lifted up her hair, allowing Sephiroth to tie the pendant around her neck.

"That tusk comes from a Grand Horn," he told her, "They're from Gongaga. That's where they're building the new reactor."

"What's a reactor?" Aerith asked.

"Now that mako has been proven to power cities at half the cost of electricity, they're building reactors to harness mako energy," Sephiroth explained to her.

Aerith's smile suddenly vanished.

"What's the matter?" Sephiroth asked.

"Mama says the mako needs to be left alone," Aerith whispered.

"I see. Where is she, anyway? I had a present for her as well."

Now Aerith looked as if she were about to cry.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked.

"They put her in that room…" Aerith told him, "You know, the one you told me to never go into…"

The tank room. Sephiroth knew that room all too well. When he was much younger, perhaps about five, he slept in the mako tanks instead of a bed for nearly a year. The reason was supposedly one of the reasons he was so strong. However, he wasn't too sure that Hojo wanted Ifalna to be strong the way Sephiroth was. As he had told the boy years ago, the woman was "trouble". Making her strong would likely be counter-productive.

"How long has she been in there?" Sephiroth asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Since you left," the little girl answered sadly, "I've been all alone."

Sephiroth stared at her in complete shock. "That was two months ago!"

"Miss Elliott has been taking care of me," Aerith whispered, tilting her head toward the woman sitting in the back of the room, dividing her attention between the two children and the TV show that was on.

"Is she nice?" Sephiroth asked.

"She's boring," said Aerith, "Mama tells better stories. She's in the bad room, but she still talks to me at night."

Sephiroth gritted his teeth. He had half a mind to go find Hojo and give him hell. Now that he was finally "taller" than the scientist(technically he wasn't, but considering how crooked Hojo's back was…), he felt as though the playing field had finally been leveled. When he had been smaller, Hojo had occasionally struck the boy for being uncooperative during tests.

_Let him try and strike me now…_Sephiroth thought, unconsciously flexing his lean muscles.

"Seph?" Aerith tilted her head and peered curiously at him. It was uncanny how much she resembled her mother in that regard.

Sephiroth was a little disappointed that Aerith had seemed to take after her mother as far as her looks went. He was beginning to forget what Professor Gast had even looked like, although Ifalna had somehow managed to keep the man's sunglasses. They sat on the dresser of the modest two-bedroom apartment that mother and daughter now shared…unless Aerith had been moved somewhere else in Ifalna's absence.

Never mind, though. Sephiroth still intended to find out what had happened with Ifalna, but he had one more thing to take care of first.

"So guess who has the entire weekend off, except for drills?" Sephiroth asked.

"The Tall Tonberry!" Aerith joked, citing the villain of her favorite fairytale.

"Oh, that's right," Sephiroth quipped, "And he'll be the one to show you how to do a forward roll tomorrow in the gym."

"Hey, that's what _you_ promised to do in your letters!" Aerith accused him.

"I know. So would you rather I did it, or your 'Tired Tonberry'?"

"_Tall_ Tonberry," Aerith corrected him, "And you're the one I want to teach me. We both know the Tall Tonberry isn't real, silly!"

"Oh, so I'm silly?" Sephiroth reached over, grabbed Aerith and began tickling her mercilessly.

"NO!" the little girl shrieked as she managed to wriggle away and run back to her nurse.

"Alright, dearie," the older woman said patronizingly, "Time for your reading lessons. Come along now. Let's go meet your tutor."

"Reading, already?" Sephiroth remarked.

"Yep!" Aerith said brightly, "Next time you have to go away, I'm gonna write you letters too, and I'll read your letters all by myself. See ya!"

Sephiroth smiled and waved. Once the little girl and her nurse left the room, his smile vanished. He left the room, making a beeline for the tank room.

* * *

He was less-than-pleased to find Hojo sitting at a desk in the giant chamber, hunched over several notes and an open book. The scientist looked up from his work and then smirked.

"I expected you would show up sooner or later," Hojo taunted the boy. He then glanced at the tank. "My, my…two very peaceful months without that banshee screeching at the drop of a hat about…anything."

"Why?" Sephiroth managed to ask, trying to keep his temper under control.

"I'm sure your 'dear friend' told you about her memory problems," Hojo sneered, "Well, it just so happens that there was a breakthrough concerning mako enhancements and their positive effect on memory…and many, many other things. It won't be long now, Sephiroth. By the end of the year, we hope to have an entire squad of mako-enhanced soldiers. The SOLDIER program is about to take a whole new step forward. All thanks to the power of mako science."

Sephiroth said nothing, staring expressionlessly at the large cylindrical tank in the center, where Ifalna floated, almost lifelessly.

"To answer what I presume will be your next question: I haven't decided when I'll let the woman out," Hojo said contemptuously, "Perhaps when you go on your next mission. Neither of you need any distractions at this point. When she finally remembers where the alleged 'promised land' lies, the president will be quite busy with her. Once he's done, I can resume studying her healing capabilities. Such powers would indubitably benefit you and your fellow warriors on the battlefield, no doubt."

Sephiroth stared helplessly at his feet. He had been so sure of himself just moments ago, but now as he stood in the same room as Hojo, he felt like a frightened little boy again.

Clenching his teeth, he spun around and stormed out.

* * *

_"Why don't you ever talk about yourself like everyone else does?" Sephiroth had asked once, when he was about nine._

_ "There's not much to talk about," Ifalna sighed, "The truth is, I can't remember my life before only a few years ago. I remember waking up in a strange room in an abandoned city. Not long after, Shinra archaeologists found me, and brought me back to this place._

_ "At first, I was grateful. I thought I was being taken care of during my time of need. But eventually, it became obvious I wasn't just some poor amnesiac who had gotten lost. When Hojo finally put two and two together, I was put on lockdown. Then, I met Faremis…and well, you know what happened after that."_

_ "But…" Sephiroth trailed off, a thoughtful look on his face._

_ "But…?"_

_ "Is it possible there might be more Cetra out there? Maybe your family is still alive."_

_ "I don't know," Ifalna admitted, flinging her hands up helplessly, "I've asked the Planet over and over again, but all I get is silence. I don't even know what it means. The Planet never gives a straight answer. It speaks in riddles."_

_ Sephiroth scowled. "That sounds really annoying."_

_ "You have no idea…" Ifalna laughed sadly._

* * *

Sephiroth quickly moved through the vents that night, hurrying to the tank room. His forbidden excursions into the walls at night had long since paid off, and his ability to crawl swiftly and silently was a force to be reckoned with.

He knew it didn't make sense for him to come see her knowing she was unconscious, but then again, plenty of things didn't make sense in the tentative friendship he'd formed with the mysterious woman five years ago. He had simply learned that the rules were different when it came to Ifalna, and when it came to Aerith…and even when it came to Wolff, who he had slowly but surely grown to trust over time.

He just wanted a few minutes with her. If she could talk to Aerith at night like the little girl had claimed, perhaps she might be able to hear Sephiroth. He had wanted to tell her how his mission had been, how he had enjoyed the thrill of hunting down monsters, and how horrible Hojo had been for doing this to her. He hoped she would at lease be able to listen, if she couldn't talk to him.

He suddenly stopped when he heard voices coming from the room ahead of him. Cautiously, he slowed down and approached the grate, not allowing himself to pass in front of it.

"…been waiting for two whole months now. Isn't it about time we see if she can remember? For all we know, she could even be lying about her 'amnesia'."

It was the president's voice. Sephiroth was certain of that.

"I've interrogated her enough to ensure that she's telling the truth," said another voice- Hojo. "And I want Sephiroth on his next mission before I allow her to be released. Have the people in the department of defense decided where he is to go next?"

"They've narrowed it down to a couple of ideas, but there's nothing certain," said the president, "It seems some people just can't seem to come to any sort of agreement. I'd hate to think that the same thing is happening between us, Professor. Sephiroth may be yours, but just remember who you work for."

Sephiroth bristled at that last sentence. He didn't _belong_ to Hojo!

"I have my reasons for wanting to wait," said Hojo.

"I'm well aware of those reasons," the president said impatiently, "but the time is at hand. A new dawn is approaching, and I want _all_ of us to be ready. If there's an infinite supply of mako to be found, I want it as soon as possible. Besides, I see no harm in letting him spend time with the Cetra. I keep telling you to pick your battles. I don't just say this as a businessman or a politician. I say this from my own personal experience as a father. Sometimes you just have to live and let live. Consider it advice…from one father to another."

Sephiroth scowled. What did the president mean by that? Hojo didn't have children. He wasn't even married…as if anyone would want to.

"So you know about that, do you?" Hojo remarked coldly.

"I may have only been vice-president at the time," said President Shinra, "but I have enough sense to have read the files kept here on the subject. They're a hell of a lot more organized, not to mention _accurate_, than the ones I found in Nibelheim. The more you try to control your son, the more he'll rebel. I'm taking care not to make that mistake with my son. You need to ensure you don't make that same mistake with Sephiroth."

Sephiroth's eyes widened in horror as it dawned on him.

_No…_he thought, _no, it's not possible! He's not my…!_

He froze, suddenly unable to move. How?! How could it be?! Ifalna had secretly told him what Professor Gast had told her about Lucrecia, the woman who had given birth to him. She had died, and he never knew who his father was. If Gast had known, he never told Ifalna.

He could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He suddenly felt cold, and his entire body felt heavy as he slowly slid onto his stomach. His hands began to tremble, and he shut his eyes, gritting his teeth.

_Not him! Anyone but him! Did you know about this, Professor Gast? Why did you have to die?! Who the hell am I?!_

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh. Cliffhanger. :P

JazzQueen: I never got into X-Men, but I'm pretty intrigued by this new movie, and will probably see it. Yes, he's definitely been told not to act weak. But thanks to Wolff, Ifalna and Aerith, he's starting to be honest with his feelings, while still keeping up appearances for Shinra.

Next chapter is where the action really begins, so stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 4: The Decision

A/N: Just wanted to thank to all my new readers! I hereby present the following shout-outs:

Ardwynna Morrigu: There were many things bugging me about the whole "last of the Ancients" spiel, including the purity of Ifalna's bloodline, and who her own family was. I decided to come up with my own original answers and put them in this fic. Thanks for reading!

Guest: Thanks for reading! I understand what you mean about Sephiroth's speech being very formal. Despite the abuse he likely suffers, I would imagine he's getting nothing short of the best education a child could have, which would account for him speaking the way he does. However, he's still a kid at this point, and at precisely the right age where he might even try to "dumb" himself down to fit in with his fellow soldiers, even if he's just trying to see what happens. J

Faunalind: Thanks. I look forward to writing more of this. Wolff will be exiting the scene very soon though. However, history is about to change for him, and therefore Elmyra… ;)

JazzQueen: What's somewhat interesting is that he does seem to have the "fatherly" urge to pass his knowledge onto Sephiroth. Even in the game.

Destinykeyblade: The vents were inspired from a show I used to watch as a kid called "Ocean Girl". In one of the episodes, the kids(who were about 13-16) were easily able to crawl through them and eavesdrop on the adults. Besides…there's a reason the vents needed to be so big in my story… ;)

* * *

Chapter 4: The Decision

_ He had to calm down. Nobody could know what he had just learned. Nobody…_

_ Suddenly, his mind wandered over to Ifalna…trapped in that godforsaken mako tank. He then bit his lip until he tasted blood. It would heal. That was what he was supposed to do. Sephiroth, the boy wonder…and all this time…Hojo's…_

_ He refused to let himself think of the word._

_ Hojo and the president had finally left, but Sephiroth had lingered in the enclosed area, unable to move. He would have cried, except for the fact that he had promised himself long ago that he wouldn't. Never would he shed another tear on account of that sorry hack who called himself a scientist…_

* * *

"Sephiroth, are you even listening to me?"

The boy snapped out of his thoughts from last night and found himself back in the small classroom. He looked up and saw the very irritated expression on his military tactics professor's face.

"What was the question?" he asked wearily.

"I asked you how your presentation on surprise attacks was coming along," the former army colonel said impatiently.

"I picked a theme," Sephiroth answered, "Since it was decided I was to keep busy patrolling here until my next assignment, I thought that it should be about security right here in the building."

His teacher looked surprised, and then pleased. "That's a very interesting idea," he praised the boy. "I look forward to seeing a rough draft at the end of the week."

Sephiroth regarded the man with an unreadable expression, and simply nodded.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked later that day, as he and Wolff stood guard outside the elevator.

Aerith stood to the right of Sephiroth, her small chest puffed out, and her tiny fists clenched.

"Helping you," she replied, looking straight ahead.

Wolff shot a glance at her, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"And just what do you intend to do if some insane criminal bursts through the doors and decides to attack everyone in sight?" Sephiroth asked, fighting a smile.

"I'll bite them!" Aerith said fiercely, "That's what I did to the mean old man with the long hair who took Mama to the bad room."

Sephiroth looked down at Aerith in surprise. She had bitten Hojo? How he wished he had been there to see that!

"He tried to hit me, but Mama grabbed his arm and yelled at him even louder than before," Aerith went on.

Wolff didn't miss the flash of anger in Sephiroth's eyes.

"What did she say?" Sephiroth asked, trying to sound casual.

"Bad words," Aerith giggled.

"And yet she gets on my case if I use them…" Sephiroth muttered, somewhat annoyed.

"When is she gonna come out?" Aerith asked.

"Soon," said Sephiroth.

Wolff caught Sephiroth's eye and gave him a look, as if he were silently telling him not to give the girl false hope. Sephiroth stared back, a self-assured expression on his face. Wolff looked away, puzzled.

"Aerith!"

Miss Elliott appeared around the corner and went up to the little girl, a disapproving look on her face.

"Stop bothering the guards and stay where you're supposed to," she scolded, "You're due for your checkup in just a few minutes. Now come along!"

"No!" Aerith shouted.

"You know you have to," her caretaker droned in a no-nonsense tone.

Sephiroth grimaced. Aerith was right about the woman being boring. Just her _voice_ was almost enough to put the young swordsman to sleep.

"I don't like checkups either, little lady," Wolff said sympathetically, "but we gotta do these things sometimes. That's how we get big and strong. Don't you wanna be big and strong like me and Seph here?"

"I don't wanna see the mean man!" Aerith protested.

"It'll be over soon," Sephiroth tried to reassure her, "Just don't talk to him unless he asks you a question. Don't give him a chance to make some stupid speech to try and show you how smart he thinks he is, otherwise he'll keep you there until he stops talking. Believe me, I know."

Aerith pouted.

"Aw, where's that smile I love?" Wolff teased her, "Go see the doctor, be good, and Seph and I will see you at dinner tonight, alright?"

"Okay…" Aerith sighed as she went to join Miss Elliott.

"Honestly!" the woman said as they disappeared around the corner, "What would your mother say if she knew you were being so disobedient?"

"She'd let me stay up to watch the 'late-nite movie'," Sephiroth could hear Aerith answer.

Wolff chuckled. "God help Elmyra if she ever had to deal with a kid like that…"

* * *

Sephiroth glanced around the small room he was in, scribbling down notes.

It was after dinner, and he had a few hours before lights-out. He was working on his assignment, and was studying all of the rooms that the vent tunnels connected to. Right now, he was in one of the labs. It was a small room, with a cage in the corner, holding a goblin that looked to be about three feet tall. Sephiroth could only guess his height, as the creature was curled up in a ball, apparently asleep.

There were several different monsters of all sizes being kept in cages and containers all over the science department. His project, and growing responsibilities in the army allowed him to have greater access to the area, and he realized that Ifalna and Aerith had it much better than most of the creatures here. They all seemed to be equally miserable, however. But here they all were, nonetheless, for one reason or another.

"Just what kind of secrets do you all hold?" Sephiroth asked the goblin rhetorically.

The creature raised his head up. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted.

Sephiroth jumped, startled. "Since when do goblins know how to talk?" he exclaimed.

"Can't speak for anyone but myself," said the goblin, "which is ever since I could remember. What's it to ya? I can take you on! Put 'em up!"

He jumped up and began to swing his fists at the young soldier. Sephiroth took a closer look, realizing that the creature was wearing boxing gloves.

"Like my gloves?" the goblin quipped, "They're brand-new! Next time one of those white-coated bastards comes in, and opens the door to feed me, I'll just give 'em what-for, and I'm outta here!"

The door opened, and an intern walked inside. "Oh, hello, Sephiroth," she said in a phony, patronizing tone, "What brings you in here?"

The goblin fell silent, save for a couple of growls at Sephiroth.

"…My presentation," Sephiroth said warily, "It's on how to defend Shinra Headquarters against a surprise attack. I outline the attack scenario, and then come up with a strategy."

"Hey, that's neato!" the intern said, clearly not meaning it. Sephiroth could recognize that tone, that clearly said: "You're a dumb kid, but I'll play along and act all excited for you."

"How long has that goblin been here?" Sephiroth asked.

"Oh Boxer? A while," the intern replied, "He's supposed to be under experimental treatment that would make him sentient. We'd hoped he'd be able to talk, but so far, no good. He's smart, though. Just last week, he tried to escape by reaching through the bars and lifting the latch. We put the boxing gloves on him so he wouldn't be able to do that anymore. That was my idea. Don't they look cute?"

Sephiroth smirked at the goblin, who looked away angrily.

"Sure!" he said in a fake cheerful tone, subtly mocking the intern, "Well, too bad he can't talk. That really _would_ be 'neato', wouldn't it?"

"You bet," the intern replied obliviously, in the same plastic tone.

"I'll let you get back to work," said Sephiroth.

He heard the woman saying something- probably goodbye- in the same voice as he slammed the door behind him.

For some reason, he couldn't help but find himself liking the goblin…Boxer. Obviously, he was smarter than the dullard who worked in that room.

Did all of Shinra's test subjects act so rebelliously? And here, he thought he and Ifalna were the only ones(although Aerith was starting to learn quickly). Clearly, he had a lot to learn about the 68th floor, despite it having been his home for so many years.

Never mind. He still had a lot of work to do tonight, and every night before he was deployed again. However, the majority of his to-do list had to wait until after lights-out.

* * *

Colonel Rock Vanheim had retired from service two years ago, and had planned to live out the remainder of his days in Costa Del Sol. However, his wife finding out about the existence of not one, but two mistresses led to a series of unfortunate events; the main one being a word he now hated: alimony. What was worse was that his ex-wife had managed to find the best lawyers to suck him dry. He was able to keep the house(as well as his mistresses), but if he ever wanted to live on those beautiful beaches and keep his women entertained, he would need to put off his retirement.

Fortunately, the opportunity to instruct young Sephiroth seemed to fall into his lap. The boy was like a sponge, absorbing everything he was taught. True, he was the creepiest child Vanheim had ever encountered, with those unnerving reptilian eyes, and his cold demeanor. His intelligence also intimidated many people from the Shinra, who would whisper that the child should never have been born…that he was a ticking time-bomb.

Vanheim had agreed…until he saw his first paycheck as an instructor. For that kind of easy money, the boy could burn the Midgar Plate to cinders if he wanted…so long as he got his money.

"Colonel!"

Vanheim turned around to see Sephiroth running to catch up to him. The boy handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the paper.

"A brief summary of my presentation," Sephiroth answered, his demeanor seeming overly casual and slightly…arrogant, if Vanheim was not mistaken?

"Our class is not for another hour, Sephiroth," Vanheim reminded him.

"I was hoping you might be able to read it by then and tell me what you think," Sephiroth told him.

The old man nodded. "I'm about to go on my lunch break. I'll read it very soon."

"Thank you. I'll see you in an hour," Sephiroth said as he walked away.

Vanheim watched the boy leave. Strange, but it seemed as though he was trying not to laugh…

* * *

"Seph!" Aerith exclaimed as she saw her friend walking down the hallway.

"There you are," Sephiroth remarked, smiling. "I was just about to go find you. I've got this amazing new game that I made up. What do you say? Do you want to play?"

"Sure!" Aerith said eagerly, "How do you play?"

"First…" Sephiroth said as he took the little girl's hand and led her toward his quarters, "…I'm going to show you my secret hiding place. Then, all you have to do is stay there until I get back…"

* * *

Vanheim put down his phone and sighed. No sooner did he sit down in the classroom to eat his lunch, than one of his mistresses called, begging for "quality time" over the PHS if he couldn't be there in person. The instructor had quickly gone over to the door and locked it, making sure no one would hear him talking dirty on the phone.

He glanced at the clock and groaned. She had kept him on for nearly his entire break. He had less than five minutes to read Sephiroth's paper before the boy would arrive, asking him what he thought. He took his glasses off of his shirt collar, put them on, and began to read silently:

_ Lone assailant, possibly terrorist…_

He stopped and rolled his eyes. _One_ assailant? What kind of weak scenario was this?

_Through days of information-gathering as an undercover employee, assailant learns the ins-and-outs of the compound, learning of a master control panel on the 68__th__ floor, that opens the gates. He releases all of the specimens, including dangerous monsters that begin to attack everyone on the floor creating a diversion before assassinating the president…_

Just then, an alarm went off. Vanheim leaped out of his chair, realizing that this was a code red. A security breach.

He opened the and looked out into the hallway, seeing a small group of troopers running past him as fast as they could.

"Hello, Colonel."

Vanheim turned around to see Sephiroth standing behind him, a menacing smirk on his face.

"What the-?! Stop smiling like that and go see what's going on!" he sputtered, "What's the matter with you?! Don't you know this is a code red?!"

"Yes," Sephiroth said coolly, "I do. Didn't you read the paper I gave you?"

They heard a woman screaming and a monster hissing. The scream was suddenly cut off and became a gurgle. Vanheim turned pale as he realized what was going on.

"You actually _did_ these things?!" he shrieked.

"And I'm afraid I have a little confession to make," said Sephiroth, "I didn't come up with a defense plan…just the attack scenario. I simply couldn't be bothered."

"Have you gone _mad?!_" the man exclaimed.

Sephiroth summoned Masamune, and lifted it up threateningly. The man reached for his holster.

"No, I wouldn't do that," said the young swordsman, using the flat part of the blade to fling the man's hand away, "I can slice off that arm much quicker than you can pull out your gun. Best to turn around, leave, and protect the people here from all those escaped test subjects. Just let me do what I intend to do, and I won't slice your head off. Does that sound fair to you?"

_Assassinating the president…_Vanheim recalled as he sped off. He knew he couldn't stop Sephiroth himself, but he could at least warn the chief…

* * *

Sephiroth stared at Ifalna for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket, and went over to the control panel. He began entering the codes, and was pleased when he heard a hissing sound from the center of the room. He looked back and saw the mako rapidly draining from the tank. When it was empty, the front hatch popped open with a mechanical groan.

Sephiroth was there in a fraction of a second, catching Ifalna as she tumbled out, soaked to the skin with the sticky green substance. Not wasting any time, Sephiroth began doing chest compressions on the woman in order to get her breathing again. Thankfully, it didn't take long before her eyes popped open and she took a deep, gasping breath.

"Where am I...?" she coughed.

"Shhh!" Sephiroth hissed, "Not so loud!"

"Sephiroth…?" she whispered as she opened her eyes.

"Can you stand up?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she said uncertainly.

Sephiroth took her arm and wrapped it around his shoulder and stood up, helping the woman to her feet. Cautiously, she took one step, and then another.

"Come on," he said when he was satisfied that she was steady enough.

"Where are we going?"

"Away," Sephiroth replied simply.

"Huh?" Ifalna stopped and stared intently at her young friend.

"Aerith is waiting in the tunnels for us right now," Sephiroth told her, "We have to hurry!"

"Sephiroth, why now?"

Sephiroth refused to look at her. "Do you want out or not?"

Ifalna peered at the boy, a concerned expression on her face. "What happened, Sephiroth?"

"We don't have time!" the boy protested as he led her toward the nearest grate. He knelt down, yanked it off, and crawled inside. "Follow me. We can talk once we're safe."

He wasn't looking forward to that at all, but he felt that Ifalna deserved _some_ kind of explanation...eventually.

* * *

"Mama!" Aerith exclaimed as she threw her arms around her mother. "Ew- you're all sticky!"

"Shh!" Sephiroth hissed, "We still have to be quiet, okay?"

"Listen to Sephiroth," Ifalna whispered, putting her finger over her mouth to emphasize her point.

"Think of it like another new game," Sephiroth whispered to Aerith, "Just try to stay quiet as long as you can. When we win, we'll get to do something really amazing. We'll get to walk out into the sunlight."

Rather than encourage the little girl, the prospect of the sun seemed to frighten her.

"I'll also buy you something special," he added, "I promise. Do I ever break a promise?"

Aerith shook her head no.

"All right. See that grate right next to me? It leads to the stairwell. I'm going to push the grate off, and we're going to climb through the opening. Then, I'm going to carry you in my arms, because I can carry things and still not make a sound. You're going to help me by staying quiet as well. I'm going to be running really fast though, so don't be scared. I won't drop you."

Aerith nodded, determined to prove to her best friend she could play this new game.

Sephiroth turned to Ifalna, "You climb on my back and hold tightly. I've run obstacle courses carrying nearly three times my weight. The two of you shouldn't be any problem at all. Let's go."

He delivered a sharp kick to the grate, sending it flying down the stairs in front of him. The three of them crawled out and stood up.

"You know I can't let you go any further," said a voice.

Wolff ascended the stairs and stood in front of a stunned Sephiroth.

"Did we lose?" Aerith whispered to Ifalna.

"I think we did, little one," Ifalna said, blinking back tears.

"Don't make me have to fight you," Sephiroth said quietly as he summoned Masamune again.

"Do you think I can just let you go?" Wolff pointed out.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Sephiroth pleaded, "I don't care about anyone else, but if I have to hurt _you_, I won't forgive myself!"

"_Obviously_ you don't care about anyone else," Wolff stated angrily, "I counted three dead bodies on the way to the staircase. And that's on the 67th floor, from where I came. I don't even want to know what those monsters that stayed on the 68th floor did!"

"Monsters?" Ifalna was confused.

"I set free all the specimens," Sephiroth explained, holding his sword defensively, "I also made them think I planned to assassinate the president so they would keep _him_ guarded, rather than the exits."

"Sephiroth, most of those creatures were _dangerous!_" Ifalna protested.

"I did what I had to do!" the teenager snapped, "Wolff, get out of my way! This is the last time I'm going to tell you that!"

"I can't let you go without a fight," Wolff said, cringing. "Just…don't get carried away. We both know it has to look real…"

Suddenly, Sephiroth realized what Wolff was doing. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Let me keep my hands at least…" Wolff joked ruefully.

Sephiroth nodded. "Run, you two," he said without turning around, "Go down one set of stairs and wait for me there. I'll be there very shortly.

Ifalna grabbed Aerith's hand and quickly led her down the stairs, offering a quick prayer to the Planet.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I promise, I'm not doing this on purpose. These chapters just seem to end on cliffhangers. I'll work hard to make sure the next chapter has at least some resolution. I've got about two or three chapters before part 1 of this story ends. Part 2 will take us to the main storyline, and elaborate further on Ifalna's backstory, which plays a HUGE part.


	6. Chapter 5: Breakdown

A/N:

Ardwynna: This is going to be a long, epic altered-timeline story. I will definitely be deviating from canon. Enjoy all the changes I have to offer. :D

JazzQueen: Let's just say that Ifalna will prove to be a very good influence on him.

* * *

Chapter 5: Breakdown

Ifalna crouched on the ground, her hands over her ears. She had instructed Aerith to cover hers as well, so that they wouldn't be able to hear the sound of the battle going on one floor above them. After less than a minute, she could feel Sephiroth's footsteps as he dashed down the stairs to meet them.

"How is he?" Ifalna asked upon seeing Sephiroth jogging toward them.

"You're bleeding!" Aerith exclaimed, noting the blood covering the legs of the youth's black cargo pants.

"Not my blood," Sephiroth said quickly, "Let's just keep going."

Before they could go any further, however, the doors to the 67th floor swung open, and two large feline-looking beasts leaped into the stairwell. The slightly larger of the two had fur that was bright blue, while the smaller one's coat was a purplish hue. Both of them had scars all over their bodies, some looking fairly recent. Their most startling features, however, were their tails, the ends of which looked almost as if they were ablaze.

Sephiroth held up Masamune, until he saw a familiar figure perched atop the back of the blue creature.

"We meet again!" Boxer said, waving happily.

"So this is the young man you told us about," the purple beast remarked.

"Indeed!" Boxer affirmed, giggling at the stunned looks on Ifalna and Aerith's faces.

"How many of you are able to talk?!" Sephiroth exclaimed, amazed himself.

"Just us," said the blue-hued beast, "We are the only ones who haven't tried to kill each other. It didn't take long for us to realize that our goblin friend is on the same side as myself, and my mate."

"They also helped me get my gloves off!" Boxer said excitedly as he held up his bare hands.

"Well, you can add the three of us to your number," said Ifalna, "I suppose six against the army makes for better odds."

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked the two beasts.

The two feline creatures exchanged amused glances before turning their gazes back to Sephiroth.

"Indigo," the purple one said, its voice unmistakably feminine.

"Cobalt," the blue one replied in a deeper, likely male voice.

"Not very original," Sephiroth remarked, thankful that the powers that be hadn't simply named him "Silver". "Let's go. There might be better odds with more of us here, but we're still up against an entire army, and a city of people who will likely panic if they see you."

"Where are we going?" Ifalna asked as they followed Sephiroth.

"I was thinking we could escape through the sewer system," Sephiroth explained, "This past year, I entertained myself by studying the blueprints of this building. While I don't remember every last detail, I did note how the vents eventually lead to the sewers, in case there was ever an attack and I needed to lead people to safety."

Ifalna nodded.

"All of you just follow me, alright?"

"You're the boss," Boxer replied.

Cobalt and Indigo nodded silently.

"The less footsteps heard, the better," said Sephiroth, "Ifalna, you ride on my back again. Aerith you ride on Indigo. When she climbs down the stairs, you lie down flat and hold on tightly so you don't fall over. We're almost out of here, so bear with me. Once we get to the ground floor, then back into the vents we all go. I do believe our new friends…" he regarded Cobalt and Indigo, "…will just barely fit in the tunnels. Let's go!"

* * *

Elmyra Gainsborough often worried for the safety of her husband. It was bad enough that the work he did which kept him in Midgar was so classified that he couldn't tell her. But when he was sent on long assignments, such as the two months he had spent in Gongaga, her heart ached whenever she saw other couples together, enjoying each other's company.

Her heart had soared, however, when he called her an hour ago, promising her that he would indeed be home for dinner tonight. Immediately, she had gone grocery shopping in preparation for tonight's meal, thrilled that she would be making dinner for two.

When she had left the grocery store and saw a large crowd of people gathered around a display of TVs outside the appliance store, she simply wondered if there was a game on that she hadn't been aware of. Then she saw a friend of hers waving frantically at her.

Elmyra smiled and waved back. Her friend then rushed over to her.

"Elmyra, didn't you hear?" her friend panted.

"Hear what?" Elmyra asked, noting the panicked look on the other woman's face.

"The Shinra building!" her friend exclaimed, "It's under attack!"

Elmyra nearly dropped her groceries.

"Come with me!" her friend grabbed her arm and pulled her across the street toward her apartment building.

* * *

"_The situation is incredibly tense now,"_ said the radio announcer as the two woman sat in the kitchen, _"The identity of the attacker or attackers is currently unknown, but reports say that flames are coming out of the top floors of Shinra Headquarters! It's been reported that the engulfed floors have now been evacuated, but it's unknown how many casualties there currently are!"_

Elmyra put her hands over her face and began to weep. Her friend moved her chair closer and hugged her.

"Wolff's too tough to go down so easily," the other woman said reassuringly, "I'm sure he'll be okay…"

* * *

"I don't hear anything," Sephiroth whispered as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs.

Many panicked civilian workers had burst into the stairwell to escape, but had quickly run off again upon seeing Sephiroth carrying Masamune. A few guards had burst in, but they had all fled for their lives as well. It had been almost too easy.

The young swordsman let Ifalna off of his back and made his way toward one of the doors. "This door leads to the parking lot. I'm just going to take a look, and then we'll go back in the vents."

"Then we find the sewers, correct?" Indigo asked.

"Correct," Sephiroth answered. He opened the door just a crack. After a few seconds, he opened it enough to stick his head out. Then suddenly, he motioned for the others to come.

"What is it?" Ifalna asked as she and the others hurried over.

"Change of plans!" Sephiroth said to the small group, "I think I've found a quicker way out of Midgar than the sewers."

He opened the door, and they followed him outside, where quickly hid behind a large dumpster. Only about twenty feet away sat a large armored car with two troopers occupying the front seats. They seemed oblivious to the group's presence as they stared nervously at the smoke coming out of the top-most floors. Other cars and trucks were parked haphazardly around the area, as if waiting for a command. However, Sephiroth was certain that he could hijack this vehicle.

"Perfect!" he said as he pointed ahead, "They'll have the keys on them. Follow me!"

They ran over to the vehicle. Sephiroth quickly yanked off one of the back doors as if it had been made of balsa wood. The group piled inside. Before the driver or his partner could reach for their guns, Sephiroth had Masamune held up against both of their throats.

"Out," he said flatly. He was thankful that due to the position of the armored car, there was no way anyone else would see what had happened.

The two men slowly opened their respective doors and slid out. Instantly, Sephiroth dropped his sword and climbed over the seat.

"You already know how to drive?" Ifalna asked as she lifted Aerith into the passenger seat and climbed over, joining her.

"A lot of laws don't apply to me," Sephiroth said dryly as he put the keys in the ignition and started the engine.

Ifalna sat next to Aerith in the front, while Boxer, Cobalt and Indigo sat among the cargo in the back. Sephiroth made sure everyone was secure in their seats, before speeding out of the parking lot, and onto the highway.

"Oh, look at this!" Boxer exclaimed as he opened a small crate and reached inside, pulling out several loose materia.

Ifalna's eyes widened in shock. "It's every color of materia under the sun!"

"Equip it!" Sephiroth ordered. He took his bracer off and handed it to Ifalna. "There's three slots there. Insert the best ones you can find, and put that on. You'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"There's more of those bracelets in this bag," Aerith said as she reached inside another bag, pulling out a couple of Shinra-issue bracers.

"You picked the best car to hijack!" Ifalna laughed excitedly as she took the bracers, climbed over the seat and helped secure them on Cobalt and Indigo's legs.

"Can I put one on too?" Aerith asked.

"No," Sephiroth told her, "Materia is too dangerous for kids to use. Besides- the bracers won't fit you anyway."

"Seph's right, honey," said Ifalna.

"Hmph!" Aerith folded her arms across her chest and began to pout.

"I'll keep an eye out on things," Boxer volunteered.

"Good idea," said Sephiroth, "Aerith, maybe you can do that too. You look in the side-view mirror and tell me if you see any soldiers catching up to us."

"You mean like the ones in the red truck behind us?" Aerith asked.

"Ifalna, do you know how to drive?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes. Faremis taught me."

"Take the wheel," he ordered, motioning for her to come over.

Ifalna climbed back into the front seat. Timing themselves carefully, Sephiroth jumped over the front seat while Ifalna slid underneath him, immediately stomping on the gas pedal. The vehicle lurched forward, sending Sephiroth tumbling over the seat.

"Sorry!" Ifalna called out over her shoulder.

Sephiroth set down his sword and grabbed one of the rifles, checking to make sure it was loaded. Upon seeing it was, he moved toward the back door.

"Stay back!" he ordered Boxer and the two feline beasts. He then opened the door, which swung aside. He began to shoot.

"Don't kill them!" Ifalna pleaded, "Just shoot their tires out!"

"You're being way too easy on them," Sephiroth muttered as he obeyed. Soon, the truck behind them was careening into the guardrail. However, another one appeared and drove past the wreck, eventually catching up to the armored car.

"They've caught on," Sephiroth realized, "Damn it. I was hoping it would take them just a bit longer."

He leaned out of the car and pulled himself up to the roof, where he cast a high-level lightning spell. The second truck swerved wildly, hitting the guardrail just like its predecessor. Sephiroth let himself back inside the vehicle.

"No matter…" he continued, "If worse comes to worse, the army only has two military-grade helicopters at their disposal. The rest of them are scattered all over the world."

He held up a small green orb, and could see the word "Comet" etched into it. He smiled wickedly.

Ifalna tried to keep her eyes on the road, but couldn't help but see the disturbing expression on Sephiroth's face.

"There's more of them!" Boxer shouted.

Sephiroth glanced out the back door and now saw two motorcycles approaching the car. Again, he lifted up the rifle and shot. The tires seemed to explode as both rider and bike went sprawling.

"HAHAHAHA! That's what you get when you mess with my new friend here!" Boxer yelled.

To everyone's horror, a shot rang out. Blood exploded from Boxer's head, and the goblin tumbled out of the armored car and onto the road.

"NOO!" Ifalna screamed as she looked in the rear view mirror.

Aerith began to cry.

Sephiroth stared in shock as the second bike soldier swerved around Boxer's body, still holding up the pistol he had just killed him with. Snapping back into action, he lifted up his rifle and shot the soldier in the chest. The soldier's eyes widened in shock as he tumbled over the guardrail to his certain death below.

"Sephiroth!" Ifalna cried out, horrified.

"What happened?" Aerith sobbed.

Ifalna glanced at her daughter, and then cast a sleep spell on the little girl before she could witness any more horrors.

Another shot rang out, and a bullet whizzed past Sephiroth, hitting the side window and causing a spiderweb-crack to appear.

Sephiroth continued shooting, no longer aiming at tires. Finally, after a few minutes, he crawled back toward the front seat.

"I had to do it," he said, "They're shooting to kill."

"They probably think it's better to cut their losses and cover this up," said Ifalna, not taking her eyes off the road.

"You're right," Sephiroth agreed, "But we'll be out of the city soon."

As Ifalna continued to drive, she began praying silently for the soul of Boxer, and everyone else who had lost their lives today.

* * *

Elmyra stared blankly at the doctor. "What do you mean, 'severed'?" she asked, not realizing what the man meant.

The doctor sighed. "Your husband, to put it in simple terms, is missing his left foot. It was cut off by a sword. Fortunately, he was found in time. We were unable to re-attach the foot without risking additional bleeding, which he could not afford. We simply healed the stump. He's going to be fine. He's being debriefed by some soldiers right now, but you'll be able to see him soon."

As if on cue, the door next to the doctor opened, and two elite members of the army- a man and a woman- stepped out.

"We're all set here," the male officer said to the doctor.

"Thank you," said the doctor. He turned to Elmyra, "You can go in, now."

"He's all right?" she asked the two soldiers worriedly.

"He'll be just fine," the female officer said, smiling in a way that did not reach her eyes. She turned to go when a small yellow orb fell out of her pocket.

"Excuse me," said Elmyra as she picked up the small object and held it out, "You dropped this."

The two soldiers turned around. The man quickly walked over to her and took it, smiling politely.

"Thank you," he said.

He immediately turned around and walked back to his partner, who was now holding the elevator door open. The two quickly got in, the doors closing behind them.

* * *

"I wish I knew more," Wolff sighed as he shook his head, "But all I remember was running through the halls, dodging the monsters. I know I was on the trail of whoever it was that did all of this. But once I opened the door to the stairwell…that's where everything goes blank."

"I don't care about that," Elmyra said as she squeezed her husband's hand and smiled through her tears, "I'm just glad you're alive!"

"I'm out of a job, El…" Wolff sighed again, "I mean…those two soldiers assured me that my severance would pay off the rest of the mortgage, but still…"

"We'll figure out our next move," Elmyra reassured him, "I don't think I could go on if I'd lost you."

"Ah, sure you could have," said Wolff, "You're tougher than you give yourself credit for."

"I don't know about that," Elmyra said, "But we'll figure something out. I'll get a job. You'll qualify for disability."

"Maybe…" Wolff said thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

A grin slowly spread across Wolff's face. "With all of this free time I'm going to have, _maybe_ this is the time where we finally start trying to start a family. You had the right idea about getting a job. I'll be the one to stay home and take care of the rugrats, and you can work. It's a little unorthodox, but what do you think?"

Elmyra leaned over and kissed her husband.

"Hey, now!" Wolff laughed, turning his head away jokingly, "I didn't mean we start _right now!_"

"Smart-alack!" Elmyra picked up a spare pillow and brought it down on her husband's head.

"Help me!" Wolff continued to laugh, "My wife is attacking an invalid!"

"I'll give you an invalid…!"

* * *

"Damn!" Sephiroth cursed as the armored car slowed to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Indigo asked, looking over her shoulder to see if they were being followed again.

"We've run out of gas," Sephiroth growled as he flung the door open and jumped out, looking around the wastelands surrounding Midgar, which was now a good ten miles away.

"There's nowhere to hide," Ifalna said nervously as she opened the passenger-side door and slid out, leaving Aerith to continue sleeping inside.

"Eventually, a car will come," said Sephiroth, "We'll just have to do the same thing we did with the first one. First, we should try and take as much as we can from this vehicle. I've spent so much time either driving or defending, that I haven't had time to properly look through all the supplies we have in here."

Cobalt and Indigo hopped out of the back door, which was still open.

Sephiroth climbed in the back and opened one of the remaining two crates. He looked inside, finding extra ammunition for the rifle, which was now slung over his shoulder. Ifalna opened the other and began rummaging through. She lifted a belt with a large sheathed dagger out of the box, and a strange look came over her face.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked, noticing her expression.

Ifalna scowled as an unfamiliar voice spoke in her mind:

"_...beautiful sparks…fit for the savior…"_

"Just nonsense," she sighed as she put the belt on.

"I hope you don't mind us walking off a ways to relieve ourselves," said Cobalt.

"After a bumpy ride like that…" Indigo added.

"Go on ahead," Sephiroth urged the two, "I need to speak to Ifalna for a moment, anyhow."

He watched the two quadrupeds walk off in different directions. After they were out of earshot, he turned to look at Ifalna, who sat, examining the dagger.

"What is it?" she asked, noting the grim look on the boy's face.

"I found out who my father is…" Sephiroth admitted reluctantly.

Ifalna's eyes widened. "Who?" she asked.

"You don't know?" Sephiroth asked, his voice bitter.

"Faremis was only just starting to tell me about the specific details of the Jenova Project," Ifalna explained, "He told me that your mother volunteered herself. I honestly assumed she used a sperm donor from the lab. I told you everything Faremis told me about your mother. Don't you think I'd tell you about your father too, had I known?"

"Hojo," Sephiroth blurted out, "Though you're not far off. Sperm donor is the right word to use for that hack who calls himself a scientist."

A pained look came over Ifalna's face. "Oh, Sephiroth…"

"Here come the others," the silver-haired youth quickly noted. He then turned around, as if listening carefully.

"What is it?" Ifalna asked.

"I hear a motor," Sephiroth announced as Cobalt and Indigo returned, "Be on your guard. If it's a car, we can capture it, or at least syphon the gas for the armored car. If it's the Shinra, then prepare for a fight."

The road ahead of them stretched around a large plateau in the distance. Within seconds, a vehicle could be seen emerging from behind the tall, chiseled rock. As it approached, they could see that it was a large van, with more than enough room to hold them all, not to mention their "spoils".

"Wait behind the armored car," Sephiroth told Cobalt and Indigo. He then looked at Ifalna. "Grab Aerith."

When the van was about fifty feet away, he ran out and raised his hand. When he saw the driver slow to a complete stop, he and the others approached the large vehicle. Sephiroth opened the door, revealing a stout, middle-aged woman sitting in the driver's seat. Her black hair was up in a braided bun, and she wore a simple button-down blouse and khaki pants. She appeared to be the vehicle's only occupant, which Sephiroth was thankful for.

"Can I help you?" she asked curiously, not looking the least bit frightened by the youth with the long, wicked-looking sword.

"Please…we don't mean any harm…" Ifalna explained as she moved the still-sleeping Aerith to her other shoulder, "We just need to get to somewhere safe."

"Shuroya?!" the woman exclaimed as she stared at the feline beasts, "Kimu!"

"Dr. Triton!" Cobalt exclaimed as he and Indigo began wagging their tails excitedly, "You truly are a sight for sore eyes!"

Sephiroth glared at the woman, looking confused. Ifalna glanced back and forth between the two quadrupeds and the strange woman who seemed to know them.

"Well, get in, all of you!" the woman urged, "Any friends of Shuroya and Kimu are good company in my book!"

Immediately, the group began filing inside the large van.

"Bugenhagen and the others have been terribly worried!" the woman said in a scolding tone as they drove off, "Where have you been?"

"The Shinra captured us and forced us to undergo several scientific experiments," Indigo explained, "But this young man helped us all."

"Not all of us…" Sephiroth muttered. Ifalna sighed and touched his shoulder.

"There were originally six of us," Cobalt explained, "Our friend was shot dead just before we got out of Midgar."

"I see…" the woman said solemnly.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth suddenly demanded, "And who are 'Shuroya' and 'Kimu'?"

"I am Shuroya," Cobalt answered.

"And my name is Kimu," Indigo said. "'Cobalt XI' and 'Indigo XII' are the names that Hojo gave us during the eighteen months that we were held captive."

"Why not just tell us your real names from the start?" Sephiroth asked irritably.

The two beasts looked at each other and then back at Sephiroth. They both shrugged at the same time, as much as their four-legged bodies allowed them to.

"This is our dear friend Dr. Harriet Triton," said Cobalt/Shuroya, "She is from Cosmo Canyon, which is where we reside."

"And I'm more than happy to give you all a lift back there," Dr. Triton offered, "It doesn't look like we're being followed at all, and the boat I intend to use to travel back home isn't docked at Junon, so we won't be searched before leaving."

Sephiroth frowned. "I thought Junon was the only major port on this continent."

"You do realize that a boat that _doesn't_ have the Shinra logo on it floats just as well as one that does, don't you?" Dr. Triton chuckled, "Don't worry, boy. We'll be just fine once we get to Heimar Port."

* * *

Hojo did not enjoy receiving phone calls from work during his days off. That was enough to irritate him thoroughly. When he had been informed of the disastrous events that had occurred today, he was beyond livid.

All the specimens freed. Most of them killed in self-defense by the army and the Turks. One of them had made it to the highway before being shot in the head. But his five most important specimens were gone. Escaped. It had taken less than an hour. All evidence pointed to Sephiroth being the ringleader. Sephiroth. Fourteen long years of hard work and sacrifice…gone. Escaped into the night.

The worst part was that the president had decided not to pursue Sephiroth, given how many people he had killed while making his escape. In fact, the general public, and even most of the army were being warned to stay away from him for the time being.

"You created this monster!" President Shinra had screamed at him over the phone, "You're the one who had better figure out how to re-capture him, because I am _not _sending anymore troops out to be slaughtered by that abomination!"

Of course. _Now_, the boy was an abomination. When things had once seemed so promising, President Shinra was ready to take all the credit himself for Sephiroth.

"We're here, sir," the limo driver said nervously.

Hojo opened the door and quickly got out, not even bothering to close it as he stormed off toward the main entrance of the Shinra building.

* * *

The tiny port village of Heimar had a small inn, with a room available that was large enough for the party of six to stay in.

Aerith had woken up upon arriving, long enough to be introduced to their new benefactor. The little girl immediately hid behind her mother, who reassured her that Dr. Triton wasn't anybody to be afraid of. While conversing over dinner(courtesy of a hamburger stand that the older woman had gone to while everyone else stayed inside one of the two rooms she had booked), it was revealed that she had been visiting friends that lived near Fort Condor. Their daughter had gotten married, and she had just come from the wedding.

The doctor had once lived a life of luxury on Midgar's plate, treating the rich and famous whenever they were sick or injured. After taking a sabbatical and spending time at a Gaian temple on the island of Mideel, she began to question her admittedly shallow lifestyle. She reluctantly returned to work, and after a year of going through the motions, closed down her practice. She moved to Cosmo Canyon, where her nephew lived, and opened up a new practice.

"It was just the perfect place to live," she explained, "They say it's truly the heart of the planet and it simply resonated with me. Perhaps I have a bit of Ancient blood in my veins…the last of my kind, perhaps."

Ifalna looked away, trying not to laugh at the complete irony. She was thankful that Aerith had gone back to sleep again, or else the child would have corrected the woman. Her daughter would have to start learning how to keep secrets from here on out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sephiroth through the window. He was leaning against a tree outside, as if he had fallen asleep. The sun was starting to go down.

Excusing herself politely, she stood up and left the room.

* * *

He had enjoyed it. Hearing the monsters ripping everyone apart, shooting the soldier who had killed Boxer, and then shooting to kill everyone else that had followed. The goblin's death, as well as having to maim Wolff, were the only regrets he had about the escape. Everything else, had been perfect. Now they would be going across the ocean. Sephiroth hoped they would eventually be able to settle in Wutai, who had no interest with the Shinra. He spoke the language fluently(along with Costan), and was confident that Aerith would quickly pick up the language as well, given how young she was.

As he kept trying to think about the future, his mind kept traveling back to Wolff, and the pool of blood he had been lying in when Sephiroth had left him.

So much blood.

_You enjoyed that…_his conscience taunted him.

No he hadn't! Wolff was his friend, and Sephiroth desperately hoped that his body had gone into shock, preventing him from bleeding out too quickly.

However, seeing the horrified look on the trooper's face as he fell over the guardrail to his inevitable death…he would have done it again in a heartbeat.

_Do that…and so much more…_

Sephiroth suddenly clutched his head, which had suddenly begun to throb painfully. As he closed his eyes, he saw flames all around him. In his hands, he held a large, black orb.

_Take back the Planet…_

Sephiroth mind was overwhelmed by the sudden flood of memories.

Hojo slapping the five-year-old Sephiroth for refusing to co-operate…

Professor Gast, on the last day Sephiroth ever saw him…

Aerith's screams as an infant, when she was being experimented on…

Ifalna in the tank…Ifalna beaten by the guards…

Boxer, shot dead for what…?

Shuroya and Kimu…were the scars on their body from the Shinra?

_Take back the Planet…_

Yes…it was beginning to make sense.

His head stopped throbbing, and he opened his eyes, only to see Ifalna standing in front of him, staring worriedly.

"…don't look so well," Ifalna was saying.

He blinked, remembering where he was.

"Sephiroth?" Ifalna went over to the boy, "Are you all right?"

The young swordsman looked up at her from where he sat. He then smiled, remembering the message from his vision.

"Ifalna…let's take back the Planet together…" Sephiroth said earnestly, "Look how easily we escaped! We could do a lot more…the five of us."

Ifalna stared at the boy. Something wasn't right.

"What do you mean?" she asked uneasily, "Are you all right? Why don't you come inside, all right?"

"I had a dream…an epiphany just now," Sephiroth explained, "Shinra is trying to take over the entire planet…but I won't let them!"

"Sephiroth, you're not thinking clearly," said Ifalna, "It's late. We're all tired, and-,"

"They don't deserve it!" the boy exploded as he leaped to his feet, "Yet, they think they have the right! And then you heard what was on the radio! They're turning Midgar against us. The people of Midgar are no better. They outnumber the Shinra, and look at what they're allowing to happen! Worthless…all of them!"

"Even Wolff?" Ifalna pointed out.

Sephiroth cringed.

"Wolff paid a high price so that he can continue to live," Sephiroth sighed, not wanting to add his uncertainty over his friend's fate. His expression grew dark. "They would probably have him killed if they ever found out he let us escape. I hope he leaves Midgar…because I have a good mind to go back there and torch the entire city…"

"Sephiroth…" There were now tears in Ifalna's eyes. "Innocent people were killed because of what you did…releasing all of those monsters…!"

"They would have hunted us all down and brought us back!" Sephiroth argued, "Create a distraction! Don't give them a chance to come after you! It's basic war tactics!"

"It's _murder!_" Ifalna shouted, "Don't you understand, Sephiroth?! I hoped you'd be able to escape someday so that you could become the person I knew you could be! But it very well may be too late if you can't see what you did!"

"Those dullards sealed their fate when they came to work for that corporate monster!" Sephiroth shouted back, "I could care less what happens to them! You and Aerith are the ones I care about! You two are the ones I love!"

He then realized what he said, having never admitted it before. He turned away, looking extremely embarrassed.

Ifalna looked away, visibly shaken.

"I love you too, Seph…" she said softly, "…but I didn't ask you to sacrifice the janitors…the interns…the maintenance workers…for me and Aerith. Don't you understand that they were somebody's child…somebody's parent…somebody's sibling…somebody's friend? They weren't in your way, Sephiroth. They just wanted to make a living, and come home safely. But they won't now. They won't be coming home…"

"No…" Sephiroth shook his head, "Don't tell me this…!"

"You need to hear it, Sephiroth!" Ifalna argued, "You're old enough to make the kind of decision you did, and you're old enough to hear the consequences! They were in your way? Was that it? You know who else was 'in the way'? My husband! Hojo saw him as a threat, and he had him shot! Aerith will _never_ know her father because he was 'in the way'! You're so horrified to learn you're Hojo's son, but at this rate, you're headed down the exact same path as him if-!"

Her words were cut off as Sephiroth struck her across the face. The force of the blow sent her flying, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

A horrified look came across the boy's face as he realized what he had done.

"NO!" he shrieked as he ran over to her, "Oh god, what have I done?! Are you all right?"

He helped the dazed woman to a sitting position, leaning her against another tree. He then saw Ifalna's face starting to swell.

"What is wrong with me…?" he whispered, terrified.

Ifalna reached over and gently touched the boy's face.

"Sephiroth…"

The teen said nothing, staring ahead into space.

"It's going to be all right, Sephiroth," she whispered fiercely, "You're going to be all right."

"How can you say that?" His voice was strained. "I just hurt someone I care about…I don't want to be like…like _him!_"

"You don't have to be," Ifalna reassured him, "If you _realize_ the problem…then you can still fix it. You can still make things right. That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"I don't want to kill anyone ever again…" Sephiroth declared, his voice breaking, "…it's too confusing! Everything! Nothing makes sense…I'm starting to hear voices…!"

He buried his face in his arms and began to cry.

"Oh, Sephiroth…" Ifalna put her arms around the boy, "…it's over now. Shinra doesn't know where we are, and we're going to be on the other side of the world by the time they get their bearings. We'll go far away, where they have no jurisdiction…"

"-And that worked _so_ well for your husband!" Sephiroth spat angrily.

Ifalna jumped, startled at his outburst, and then looked away, clearly hurt.

"I-I'm sorry…" Sephiroth immediately apologized, "I didn't mean to sound like…I'm sorry. I know I seem to keep saying that to you. I don't know why I said something so horrible like that to you of all people..."

He shut his eyes, ashamed.

"Because it's true," Ifalna admitted sadly, "We thought that a place so well-hidden would be safe. But its remote-ness meant we had no one to help us when Hojo…did what he did."

"Forgive me…"  
Sephiroth and Ifalna turned around to see Shuroya and Kimu standing behind them.

"I deeply apologize for intruding," said Shuroya, "But Cosmo Canyon is home to many warriors. Their abilities with materia, and the fighting arts, are unprecedented. If there were ever an area that could hold off against an army, it would be our home."

"My mate is right," agreed Kimu, her yellow eyes bright with enthusiasm, "Consider a pair like us, who have called Cosmo Canyon our home for nearly two-hundred years. You two, as well as Aerith, would fit right in."

Ifalna leaned her head back against the tree, sighing with relief. "You have no idea how much hope that gives me…" she whispered. She then looked at Sephiroth, whose head rested on his forearms again. "Sephiroth? Doesn't that sound promising…?"

"…Fine," Sephiroth said miserably, "Just…let me be alone for now."

"Sephiroth…" Ifalna touched the boy's shoulder.

"Please, Ifalna," Sephiroth insisted, not moving, "I'm sure Aerith needs you right now. She'll be scared if she wakes up and doesn't see you there."

The Cetra nodded, and stood up. She put her hand to her face, and the swelling quickly disappeared. Heaving a sigh, she walked over the inn, Shuroya and Kimu following her. The three of them went inside.

Sephiroth stayed where he was, and continued to weep.

* * *

"Mama!" Aerith wailed the next morning.

Ifalna's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, looking around. However, the bright sunlight streaming through the large windows of the room, forced her unaccustomed eyes to close again. The previous day had been overcast, and with everything that had happened, the possibility that the sun might be a problem, had slipped her mind completely.

"I'm here, Aerith!" Ifalna said, squinting and waving her arms, trying to feel where her daughter was. "What's the matter?"

"I can't see!" Aerith panicked as she covered her face, "My eyes hurt!"

Ifalna's hands found her daughter, and she pulled the little girl close to her, hugging her tightly. "Shhh…don't worry sweetheart. You're just not used to the sunlight is all."

Sephiroth, who had already woken up and put his boots on, emerged from the bathroom, looking alarmed.

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.

"The sun's a little too harsh on Aerith's eyes," Ifalna explained, still squinting herself. "Mine too."

"Maybe this will help…" Sephiroth said as he reached into his hip-pack that lay on the dresser next to his bed. He pulled out a familiar-looking pair of sunglasses and stood directly in the path of the morning sun. He stood up and walked over to them, and gently pried Aerith's hands away from her face. He then put the glasses on her. "Here- you can open your eyes now."

The little girl obeyed, and began to look around.

"It feels better…" she remarked, "Hey- these are the glasses Mama keeps next to her bed!"

"Sephiroth…" Ifalna was clearly moved, "You brought Faremis' sunglasses with you?"

"I only had a little bit of time to come by your room, but I know how much they meant to you," Sephiroth explained, "I remembered something else…"

He pulled out a materia orb, and handed it to Ifalna.

"Your 'good-for-nothing' materia," he said, finally managing a smile.

"Thank you…" Ifalna whispered as she took Sephiroth's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Can I keep wearing these?" Aerith asked, "I didn't know the sun was supposed to hurt. Seph, you told me the sun was a good thing!"

"I'm sorry…" Sephiroth apologized, "I didn't take into consideration the fact that you've never seen it directly before. Your window faces south, and the sun only goes from east to west."

"You look a bit like your father with those glasses," said Ifalna, "even if they _are_ a little big. You'll grow into them, though."

The little girl fell silent, staring off into the distance.

"Aerith?" Ifalna put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Are you with us?"

"Papa agrees…" Aerith said finally.

Both Ifalna and Sephiroth stared at the little girl. "What are you talking about?" Sephiroth asked.

"He said he's been waiting to talk to me," said Aerith, "But he couldn't with all the bad energy coming from where we lived. He's gone already, but he said to tell you, Mama: he'll be back to talk to you…and that he missed you."

Ifalna turned away, not wanting her daughter to see the tears in her eyes.

"I might need a pair of sunglasses myself…" she forced a laugh.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Everyone awake?" Dr. Triton asked from outside, "I thought I heard voices. Just thought I'd let you know that we'll be leaving soon. I'll be downstairs with Shuroya and Kimu having breakfast once you're ready."

"Thank you, Doctor," Ifalna called out. As soon as she heard the older woman walking down the stairs, she took Sephiroth's hand. "How do you feel?"

The boy sighed. Deep lines furrowed his brow, making him seem much older than his thirteen years. "I don't know…" he said quietly.

Before Ifalna could say anything, he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

* * *

A/N: I didn't plan for this chapter to be finished as quickly as it was, but I woke up feeling pretty damned sick. The good news is that I had much more time to write and proofread. When life gives you lemons, make fanfiction, I guess. Lol.

Hardcore fans might notice that I put in the characters that were created, but never included in the final version of FF7. Boxer was supposedly supposed to be a third optional character, according to rumors. Cobalt and Indigo(whose real names I made up), were also left out at the end, according to the Final Fantasy Wikia.

I never intended to keep Boxer around, though, as I figured a talking goblin who wears boxing gloves can only become another Cait Sith, and one Cait Sith is more than enough. I don't hate him with a passion like many others do, but I believe he should be used sparingly in fanfiction…and even canon.


	7. Chapter 6: Refuge

Shout-outs:

Badnephilim: Thanks! And I know how that is staying up half the night reading fanfiction. As far as continuing to work on it- you bet! This entire story started off very difficult, but after a fashion, began to come out much more easily.

Frankannestein: To answer your question: the one whose sunglasses little Aerith is wearing now.

Destinykeyblade: Yeah, the original idea I had for Dr. Triton with Ifalna being injured and Seph getting her to the doctor in time just never really fit in with how I ultimately wrote their escape. Rather than force it to fit, I did something else.

JazzQueen: Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. Ifalna and Aerith both put up with a lot from their friends. I very much enjoyed writing the cry. Poor kid doesn't want a hug- he just wants to know for certain that things will get better. :(

Ardwynna Morrigu: I will diverge to the best of my ability, but if one can always allude back to canon once in a while, it's even more fun. If I'm able to put Sephiroth in drag instead of Cloud and make it work, I'll give myself a cookie. If _Aerith_ is the one who has to wind up in drag(she'd be just adorable in a little fat-suit and fake beard, dontcha think? XD), I'll make myself a cake. :D

* * *

Chapter 6: Healing

_"I know you're here…" Ifalna said as she looked around the endless green mist that swirled around her. "Please…it's been so long. Let me see you again."_

_ A figure materialized in front of her, and she found herself looking into the warm brown eyes of Professor Faremis Gast._

_ "You always did have such handsome eyes…" she said, blinking back tears and unable to move._

_ "I'm afraid I can't hide them behind my shades this time," he chuckled, "considering our beautiful daughter wears them now."_

_ "Aerith told me you spoke to her."_

_ "She looks exactly like you."_

_ "Maybe, but she has your curiosity, and your determination," Ifalna pointed out. Suddenly, she rushed over to her late husband and threw her arms around him, letting the tears fall freely._

_ "I'm sorry…" he whispered as he embraced her, "I should have hidden you somewhere safer. That blasted building is so tainted with negative spirit energy. I waited so long, hoping I would one day see you again."_

_ "And this is why you haven't merged with the Lifestream?" Ifalna murmured into her husband's neck._

_ "I want to see you and Aerith happy and safe," he said, "You still haven't regained your memories, have you?"_

_ "No," said Ifalna, "and sometimes, I'm afraid to ever get them back. I worry it might make things worse instead of better. The reason why I was all alone. What if it was a horrible incident that I blocked out for a reason?"_

_ Gast released her and stepped back. "What if it wasn't? You told me the Planet was counting on you to help fix what was going on. You had a five-year setback, but you're on the right track. You see, I had every intention of taking you to Cosmo Canyon myself, once Aerith was just a few months older. There's a man there who I really wanted you to meet. His name is Bugenhagen. He's an old fellow, but I haven't run into him here yet, so I guess he's still alive. If you talk to him and the other elders over there, you and Aerith will learn a lot, I think. Plus, there's a little something I made over there, that I would love the both of you to see._

_ "I wish I could stay longer, but the current of the Lifestream is strong," he said as he was suddenly enveloped in spirit energy and carried off. "I love you, Ifalna! I'll try and find you again!"_

_ Ifalna put one hand to her mouth as she waved her other hand, choking back a sob._

* * *

"Mama, you look sleepy," Aerith observed as the group drove across the desert the next day.

"Just had some strange dreams keeping me up is all," Ifalna reassured her daughter, "I'll be fine."

The party of six had loaded the van onto a small ship, and sailed across the ocean with dozens of other travelers. It had taken a week before they arrived at a small port just south of the Corel Prison.

"There's a reason not many like to use this port to travel through," Dr. Triton had explained, "Occasionally, the news always explodes with the story of an escaped convict or two coming to the port and attempting to hijack one of the boats, or rob people. The Shinra News Network always exaggerates the story much more than it is, though. I suppose to convince people that traveling between Junon and Costa Del Sol is the only guaranteed safe way to travel. Never mind that they jack up the prices and search each traveler like a common criminal when you board, and when you disembark. No, thank you, I'll see past the hype, save my money and be treated with dignity if you please…!"

Sephiroth knew all too well the stories that the Shinra was capable of spinning. He had requested that the doctor turn the radio on, and every Shinra-related news station said the same thing: A band of terrorists had attacked Shinra headquarters, causing a fire and taking a shot at the president(and missing), before escaping into the night. One of the group had been dispatched, though instead of it being a harmless sentient goblin, Boxer was now a nearly seven-foot-tall ogre of a man. The leader was merely described as a mysterious ex-army man. Strangely enough, they had described Sephiroth, Ifalna, and Aerith; but without much other explanation than the number to call if anyone were to see them.

To think that for so long he had believed everything that they had told him. Never again, though.

They had been driving across the desert all day, only stopping at a "last chance" gas station to stretch their legs, refuel, and eat the cheap hot dogs sold there. Nobody had enjoyed the low-quality food, but nor were they in a place to complain.

The doctor had bought chocolate bars for both Aerith and Sephiroth, who had simply stared uncertainly at the foreign objects. They had seen this food advertised on TV plenty of times, but had never seen it up close, much less eaten it. Only after Ifalna had encouraged them did they finally each take a tentative bite out of their respective treats. After that, they wolfed down the rest of the delicious new food. The soda had been even more intriguing. Both children agreed that the fizzy drinks felt strange running down their throats, but at the same time, they looked forward to the next time they would be able to drink Carbuncle-Cola.

Ifalna had been filled with hope upon seeing Sephiroth's brief enthusiasm over the junk food, and his slight amusement toward Aerith's newfound obsession with how many times the soda made the little girl belch. However, once the novelty wore off, he had slipped back into the grim silence that had been plaguing him since his breakdown at Heimar Port. Clearly, everything that had happened over the past several days had done something to him. Between the discovery of Hojo being his father, the stress of the escape, the guilt over the lives he had taken, and his violent outburst; Ifalna was truly afraid that the boy was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

She was at a complete loss of what to do.

"Oh, here we go!" Dr. Triton said excitedly, pointing ahead in the distance, "If you look now you can see the very top of the rocks. We'll be home in a good five minutes!"

"Yay!" Aerith cheered, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"I'm so glad…" Ifalna said softly as she hugged Aerith tightly.

"Where are we going to stay?" Sephiroth asked dully.

"Well, I'm afraid my place is rather small," Dr. Triton admitted, "But I'll be glad to put you and the young ladies up for a few nights at Shildra Inn, at least until you all figure out what to do next. First thing's first, though. You absolutely must meet Bugenhagen. He's the village's chief elder. He'll want to personally thank you for saving Shuroya and Kimu. After that, I'm certain that he can figure out how to help you..."

* * *

A pair of guards led the group up a long series of steps that had been cut into the rocks. They passed through the open doors of various stores, which had built into the mountainside long ago.

Sephiroth looked around curiously as they exited the Tiger Lily Arms & Weapons shop. He had made a mental note to go back and check out the wares when he had a moment to himself.

He then noticed Aerith venturing too close to the steep edge of the cliff for his liking as she looked around. Instantly, he plucked the little girl off of the ground and began to carry her.

"Hey!" Aerith giggled.

"You're leaning a little too far over the steep edge of the cliff. No Aerith pancakes today, if you don't mind," he quipped.

Ifalna smiled, relieved to know that the boy was at least trying to hold it together for Aerith's sake. She began to look around as well. Scattered around the area were various wooden houses built on raised platforms. They had been visible upon entering the town, and were just as prevalent on the other side of the mountain. They were tiny huts, and it made sense to her that the doctor was unable to put them up for the night if her house was among them.

They found themselves inside again, walking past a large door.

"That door's been sealed shut for years," one of the guards said to Ifalna, "Make sure the kids stay away from there."

Sephiroth glared at the guard's back. Ifalna was not his "mommy" to be telling him what he could and couldn't do. Still, he kept his mouth shut, having learned long ago to pick his battles.

After climbing up the ladder that seemed to stretch for well over a hundred feet, they made it to the top of a giant plateau. Surrounding the hole leading back down, was a large building surrounded by a large wooden fence. Strangely enough, there was a gate, and a mailbox right outside, despite the steep drop right in front. Whoever lived here was either very eccentric, or had wings. Neither Ifalna nor Sephiroth were willing to dismiss either possibility, given the fact that they had been traveling in the company of two sentient lion-like creatures.

"Look how high we are!" Aerith exclaimed as Sephiroth finally set her down on the ground. The child was clearly not the least bit afraid of heights.

"Stay close to me, please," Ifalna said to her, afraid enough for the both of them.

"Elder Bugenhagen!" Dr. Triton called out as she knocked on the front door, "I'm back! And I've brought some people with me!"

"Ho-ho-hooo!" an old man's voice sang out cheerfully from inside, "Did you now? Then I'll have to ask you all to come inside right away!"

Dr. Triton jiggled the door handle. "Well, I would, Elder, but you locked your door by accident again."

The party could hear the old man chuckling as the door clicked and opened. The guards ushered the party inside, remaining outside to guard the door in case anything happened.

"Come in, everyone," the old man said, "Oh my! Kimu and Shuroya! This is quite a wonderful surprise indeed! Sit down, everyone!"

The group entered a simple kitchen area. Ifalna, Sephiroth, and Aerith did as they were instructed, and sat at a large wooden table in the middle of the room.

"We're so happy to be back," said Kimu as she padded over to the elder and put her paws on the table, allowing her to reach the elder and nuzzle his arm.

"Wow!" Aerith exclaimed as she pointed at the large green sphere that the old man was standing upon. It managed to levitate a good foot off of the ground.

"Ah, you like it?" the man asked.

"Can I have one too?" Aerith asked hopefully.

"Ho-ho-hooo…I'm afraid this little vehicle of mine is one of a kind," he replied, "My legs are too weak to walk on this terrain in my old age, and a wheelchair is thoroughly impractical here."

"Folks," Dr. Triton introduced, "This is Chief Elder Bugenhagen of Cosmo Canyon. Elder, this is Ifalna, her daughter Aerith, and their friend Sephiroth. They're refugees seeking shelter from the Shinra…boy, try saying _that_ three times fast…"

"Look!" Aerith pointed again. Two figures emerged from another room in the back. "More big cats!"

"I was right!" the red one said, looking behind its shoulder at the yellowish one, "Our brethren _have_ returned!"

It ran over and pounced on Shuroya, playfully biting his ear.

"Slow down, Nanaki!" Shuroya chuckled, "We're rather crowded as it is. Why don't we step out for a bit?"

Nanaki let the older-looking beast up and followed him out the door.

"Hello, strangers," the yellow beast said politely(sounding female), "My name is Deneh. You'll have to forgive Nanaki for not introducing himself. He's the youngest of all of us, and consequently, the most immature."

"You're not that much older," Kimu pointed out.

"Yes, but like humans, us females tend to mature at a speedier rate," Deneh said smugly.

"Why don't we give these folks some time alone?" Kimu suggested, "I know they have a lot to talk about with the chief elder. Let's give them room to do so."

Deneh tilted her head, regarding the trio of newcomers. She then nodded and followed Kimu outside.

"I cannot thank you enough for bringing those two back home," Bugenhagan said, his voice now solemn, a stark contrast to his earlier cheerful demeanor.

"I wasn't going to let Shinra experiment on anyone else," Sephiroth said darkly.

"So I take it you are the one responsible for rescuing them?" the old man asked, lowering himself to sit cross-legged on the floating sphere he had originally stood on.

"I'm responsible for a lot…" Sephiroth muttered, his face a mask.

Bugenhagen regarded the boy carefully, tempted to say something. However, he appeared to have changed his mind, and continued to speak regarding the sentient beasts:

"You see, these four are the last of their kind. If their species is to carry on, they must stay alive, and…ho-ho-ho-hoooo…" he chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"Make lots of babies…" Ifalna echoed words spoken to her over five years ago. She recalled when Professor Gast had whispered that to her on their wedding night.

_"To save the species…of course!"_ he had maintained, but Ifalna could still see the mix of lust and mischief in her late husband's eyes.

"Outspoken where I'm just slightly delicate when it comes to speaking of such matters," Bugenhagen chuckled.

"The last of their kind…" Ifalna sighed, "I understand that all too well…"

"Oh?" Bugenhagen perked up.

"Elder…my husband met you many years ago. His name was Professor Faremis Gast."

The old man raised his eyebrows and smiled happily. "Does this mean the little one here is…?"

"Our daughter," Ifalna finished the sentence proudly.

"These are his sunglasses!" Aerith said, touching the edge of the rectangular lenses and pushing them back onto the top of her head.

"I remember!" Bugenhagen chuckled, "Ah, and now that I see your eyes, I see your father's curious sparkle in them. I'll bet you're a curious one too, are you not?"

"You have no idea," Ifalna chuckled.

"Gast would be proud indeed. I was saddened to hear word of his passing."

"Did you hear the _truth_ of how he died, or the made-up story?" Sephiroth asked bitterly.

Bugenhagen said nothing, regarding the youth with a sorrowful expression. Dr. Triton glanced at the boy, as if deciding whether or not she wanted to say something.

Just then, footsteps could be heard from above. Someone was climbing down the ladder in the back of the room. A set of boots appeared in the top of the doorway, and a figure jumped down, landing on the ground in a crouch. An athletic-looking man in his 30's looked up at everyone and smiled. He was covered in oil and sweat, as if he had just been working hard at some kind of repairs. Brushing his disheveled honey-blond hair out of his eyes and tucking it back underneath a red bandana, he stood up and took a good look at the group in front of him.

Dr. Triton smiled. "Ah, so what have you wrecked now?" she joked.

"Ah, and the Dragon Lady returns!" the man said warmly, "Who are your friends?"

"Folks," Dr. Triton said sweetly, ignoring the derogatory nickname, "That grease-ball you see standing in front of us, is my nephew...unfortunately. Barnabas Duran: local handyman, grappling expert, weapons aficionado, and Shinra's _biggest_ fan…" The last sentence was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, don't you wanna give your favorite nephew a big hug?" he teased as he held his hands out for the doctor and began to approach her.

"Boy, I will kick you into next week if you touch me with all that sweat and grease!" Dr. Triton shrieked as she hid behind Ifalna, who looked utterly confused.

Barnabas stopped, as if remembering there were guests in the room. He looked sheepishly at his feet and laughed.

"Well, now," he said, slightly embarrassed, "See what that old lady does? Makes me forget my manners!"

"Don't blame me for your own short-comings," Dr. Triton retorted, though there was clearly no real malice in her voice.

"Oh, my aunt is so _funny!_" Barnabas fake-laughed. He turned to look at the newcomers. "I'd shake your hands, but I'm a mess right now."

"My name is Ifalna," the Cetra introduced herself, "This is my daughter Aerith, and our friend Sephiroth. Aerith, say hello."

"Is he our new guard?" Aerith asked.

"No, no, sweetheart…" Ifalna said, kneeling down in front of her, "That's all over now. No more guards for you and me, no more scientists…no more Shinra."

"What's gonna happen now?" Aerith asked, still not really getting it.

"Well," said Ifalna, "You get to go to school now, like regular children do. You'll get to play outside, make friends with other children, try all sorts of new foods, and most of all…we'll have you learn to be tough, so no one from Shinra ever bothers us again."

Barnabas looked at his aunt, completely confused. Despite protesting over his sweatiness just moments ago, the woman went over to him and leaned in(though still not touching him), whispering in his ear:

"They were prisoners of Shinra."

Barnabas stepped back, looking outraged. That tiny girl had been imprisoned by the Shinra?

"What about shots?" Aerith asked, "I haven't had one in…" She began to count on her fingers. "…seven days!"

"I know," Ifalna said, smiling excitedly, "Me too!"

"Are the shots all over?"

Dr. Triton stepped forward. "Well, I'm the one around here who gives people shots," she said, "but I'll hardly ever have to do that to you. And if I do…well, tell me: did the people at Shinra ever give you kids sea-salt ice cream after giving you a shot?"

Aerith shook her head.

"Well, _I_ do…" the doctor said in a sing-song voice.

"What's ice cream?" Aerith asked.

Barnabas' face fell.

The woman's eyes twinkled. "Something even better than chocolate."

Aerith immediately held out her arm. Ifalna, the doctor, and Bugenhagen burst out laughing.

"You know, why don't I just get you the ice cream and we won't bother with the shot?" Dr. Triton said as she held out her had for Aerith to take. She then looked at Ifalna. "I'm at building number twenty-eight. Barnabas can show you the way…I mean…if you don't mind her coming with me…"

"Go ahead," Ifalna said warmly, "Aerith, you do what the doctor says, all right?"

"I will!" Aerith said as she smiled and took the doctor's hand, "Can Seph come too?"

"If he wants. Sephiroth, would you like to join us?"

Intrigued by the prospect of more previously forbidden food, Sephiroth nodded and followed them out the back door.

"She doesn't even know what ice cream is…" Barnabas sighed. He looked at Ifalna. "I'm so sorry for whatever it is you went through. I grew up in Midgar…it took me a long time to realize how messed-up that place is..."

Bugenhagen cleared his throat suddenly.

"Oh geez- sorry, sir," Barnabas apologized, "The professor's machine is up and running again. Just needed a good oiling. No software problems at all."

"May I see it, please?" Ifalna blurted out.

Bugenhagen chuckled again. "So he told you about it, eh?"

"He did," Ifalna said, wondering whether or not to tell the man that it was _after_ he died that he had told her.

"Come, come!" the old man stood up and levitated over to the door in the back, "Both of you, follow me. Ifalna, was it? I think you'll love what I'm about to show you."

"I'll just wash up out back if that's not a problem," said Barnabas, "The last thing we want is your place smelling like…well…me. I'll just wait here when I'm done."

"Very well, then," Bugenhagen chuckled as he opened the door and motioned for Ifalna to follow.

* * *

"Try putting the bottom of your tongue against the roof of your mouth," Dr. Triton suggested, "That's what I do whenever I get brain-freeze."

Sephiroth obeyed, grimacing as he clutched his head. Thankfully, he found the sharp stabbing pain in his head slowly fading.

"Feel better?" the older woman asked.

Sephiroth nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling. Planet alive, that had been excruciating.

"I hope that doesn't ruin your enthusiasm for cold treats," said Dr. Triton, "I suppose the fact that you haven't thrown your popsicle away is a good sign. But a word of advice, Sephiroth: never, _ever_ take a bite out of something cold like that. Those are not meant to be chomped on. I'll bet doing that made your teeth hurt as well?"

Sephiroth nodded again.

Aerith giggled. "You looked so funny, Seph."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, then raised his hand, stretching his fingers out.

"No!" Aerith giggled loudly, using her free hand to cover her ribs. She knew when he raised his hand like that, he would try to tickle her.

Sephiroth took a menacing step forward, causing Aerith to squeal and hide behind the doctor. She resumed slurping on her popsicle while keeping a wary eye on the older boy.

The trio stood outside of the doctor's office, having only been inside to fetch the two sea-salt ice cream popsicles from the freezer. Dr. Triton had wanted Aerith to get as much sun as the child could manage. She was still pale compared to the other residents of Cosmo Canyon, but at least she wasn't as white as the ghost she had looked like a week ago.

Dr. Triton regarded the boy carefully, and then began to speak:

"Sephiroth, have you ever been to Mideel?"

"Mm-mmm," he replied negatively, his mouth full while he sucked on the frozen treat.

"It's a beautiful place," said the doctor, "I told you about the temple I spent time at. A lot of people from here travel down there to gain a better understanding of the planet. The monks that live there, they're unlike the monks you meet at a Wutaiian temple, or anywhere else.

"Most monks live their lives by denying themselves. They take vows of silence, depriving themselves of meaningful conversation. They take vows of poverty, depriving them the means to explore what life has to offer. They take vows of chastity, depriving themselves of love. Personally, I think that last one is the worst of the vows.

"Gaian monks, however, they're not like that. Monk families live within the temple walls. They have jobs outside of the temple, but they come home, they clean the grounds, cook their meals, and study all that there is to know."

"So how are they even monks?" Sephiroth asked, "Isn't asceticism the entire point of being a monk?"

"A Gaian monk is someone who dedicates their life to serving the planet, and spreading wisdom by example," said Dr. Triton, "And worldly pleasures are never excessive in the lives of monk, so don't assume they're all fat, lazy, lecherous oafs."

She spied Aerith talking to another little girl, who happened to be one of Dr. Triton's neighbors. Making sure to keep an eye on her, she allowed the child to continue socializing. Gaia knew the child deserved to make some friends her age.

"Why are you telling me about this?" the boy wanted to know.

"The temple is the most peaceful place I've ever been to," said the doctor, "Just one glance at you, and I see so much turmoil. What's more, I see how worried Ifalna is about you. I don't know the details, but you could use some time to heal."

"Not in Mideel," Sephiroth said as he shook his head, "Ifalna and Aerith need me here."

"I've been thinking about that," the woman spoke, placing her index finger under her chin thoughtfully. "If the Shinra are looking for you, then it may be a good idea for you to split up. If the worst happens and they locate you…wouldn't it be better if only one or two of you are recaptured, rather than all of you?"

Sephiroth sighed, knowing the woman was right. It was, after all, common sense as far as war tactics went.

"When I visited the monks, I was confused as well. No, not at the depth that you're at, but all the same, they have the power to heal…not just physically, but emotionally, and spiritually."

"It would take a miracle to fix me," Sephiroth muttered.

"It would take _time_," Dr. Triton said, "You're still lucid. You still realize something is wrong. I think you can be saved, and I think the temple is the best place to start. I'm not asking you to make a decision right away. Just think about it…but give it some good thought."

Sephiroth marveled at how much the older woman's words reminded him of what Ifalna had said…not just last week, but years ago, when the two had first met, talking through a vent:

_"__You don't have to make any decisions today. Or tomorrow…not next week…not next year…"_

Out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth saw the door to Bugenhagen's home opening. Barnabas exited first, followed by Ifalna, who looked to be lost in thought. Barnabas could be seen looking around. He then caught sight of Sephiroth and Dr. Triton. He waved at them, and motioned for Ifalna to follow him.

"Well, what did you think?" the doctor asked Ifalna.

The woman smiled brightly. "It was…amazing…truly Faremis' masterpiece…and to think that he created that before he even…" she trailed off.

"Before what?" Dr. Triton asked.

"No, I'm just about to start rambling again," Ifalna laughed, "Don't mind me, please!"

Ifalna had told Bugenhagen everything. About her heritage, her amnesia, her hopes, and her fears. Something about the old man comforted her, compelling her to be honest. Still, she was hesitant to be as honest with Dr. Triton, no matter how kind and helpful she had been.

Perhaps later.

"Mama!" Aerith's little friend had just left, and the five-year-old threw her popsicle stick into a nearby trash can. She ran over to Ifalna. "The ice cream made my tongue blue!" She opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

"Well, look at that," Ifalna marveled.

"I suppose it's time for me to open up my office," the doctor sighed, "Oh well. Back to work, I suppose. Barnabas- I don't suppose you could take our three newcomers over to the inn? I already called in their reservation over the phone when we were on the road, so they'll be expecting our new friends."

"Sure," Barnabas said, adjusting his bandana, "Just follow me, you three."

Ifalna smiled and took Aerith's hand. She and Barnabas listened attentively to the little girl prattle on about her first taste of ice cream. Sephiroth trailed behind silently, stopping for only a moment to glance back at the doctor.

She caught his glance, and smiled at him.

Sephiroth managed a polite smile, and nodded before he quickly looked away.

* * *

A/N: I've started watching "Let's Play" videos of FF7 on youtube, so I could give much better descriptions of the area. Hope it works! And yeah, I thought i'd throw in a Kingdom Hearts reference into this chapter. :)


	8. Chapter 7: The Resistance

Time for shout-outs! My goodness- the ice cream and junk food seems to be a big hit.

Frankannestein: At that point, all Sephiroth really sees is Wolff's soldier uniform. He's long since come around, though. :)

Greatazuredragon: Thanks. I'm looking forward to getting the first part of this story finished. It won't be too long now before we have another time jump.

WhiteInfinity21: I wouldn't say that Ifalna has raised him, so much as she's been like a big sister presence in his life. Check out "Us & Them Rebooted" by Madcap Minstrel if you like the idea of Ifalna(and Professor Gast) actually raising Sephiroth alongside Aerith.

Badnephilim: As far as Sephiroth's brainfreeze goes, Aerith certainly thought it was funny. Sadly, even a sugar crash can mean the difference between life and death on the battlefield, so no treats for the general. Altered timelines are my favorite FF7 fanfics.

Faunalind: I always figured Jenova was waiting for either Seph, Angeal, or Genesis to snap, and use any one of them to her advantage. Sadly, it was Sephiroth who ended up in that situation. Now that his mind's breaking 12 years early, she's reaching out, regardless of the distance between them. Thankfully, he's about to meet people who will be able to help him immensely.

Expect to see a lot of "Sweaty Barnabas". He's a very important OC, and you will soon start to see why. Keep in mind though, you will eventually see the rest of the canon characters as well. They're just too young right now to make any real impact on the story. Yuffie hasn't even been conceived yet at this point. :P

Ardwynna Morrigu: Being sick can have its upsides. When you're too sick to go to work, all that time in bed allows you to put a lot of words to (virtual)paper.

JazzQueen: Nanaki will be a good(and cuddly) friend for little Aerith.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Resistance

Ifalna strolled around the main area of town, hoping to find a clothing store. Earlier in the day, she and the children had taken all of their stolen Shinra goods, and pawned most of them(save for several powerful materia) for a good sum of money. She gave a small amount to Sephiroth, declaring today to be about the three of them having fun. She had spoken to the woman who worked at the Tiger Lily shop, and was given directions to a clothing boutique. After twenty minutes of looking, she wasn't having much luck. She couldn't help but wonder if she had always been this bad with directions.

"Hello, Ifalna!" a voice suddenly called out.

Ifalna looked around until she saw Barnabas standing near a large platform, with a large bonfire burning in the middle. Standing next to him was a lean older man with thinning grey hair. Both men were each carrying a gym bag on their shoulder.

She smiled and waved before approaching him.

"Wandering around town all alone, 'milady'?" Barnabas remarked good-naturedly as he raised an eyebrow, "Where's those two kids? Sampling more junk food?"

"That…erm…Nanaki, I think his name was?" Ifalna stumbled for the right word to describe the red beast, "Well, he offered to show Aerith and Sephiroth where all the children go to play. I said it would be fine, so they've been gone for the past half-hour."

"He probably took them to the little maze of caves on the other side of the mountain," said the older man, "It's near the elementary school. Children love to play hide-and-seek in there because of all the twists and turns. But before you ask, no, it's impossible to get lost in there. All you have to do is keep walking, and you'll eventually find yourself at one of the three entrances of the caves. Finding every last corner and path of that area…that's a different story. It's got more twists and turns than Wutai's Da Chao mountains."

"I just like the idea of the kids finally making some friends," Ifalna said with a smile. She then glanced at the older man, wondering who he was.

"Allow me to introduce you to my grappling instructor," said Barnabas, "Ifalna, this is Master Terrato, head of the fighting school, and a role-model to many of us. Master, this is Ifalna; our newest resident."

"Pleased to meet you," Ifalna said as she and the older man shook hands.

"Likewise," he replied, "Barnabas is my top student, and he's told me a little bit about you."

"I thought that the two of you should meet as soon as possible," Barnabas explained, "If you have a moment, we would both like to speak with you. Given your past, I think you would be very interested in listening to what Master Terrato has to say."

Ifalna nodded, figuring she could always wait until the children came back before outfitting them all.

"Follow me," Terrato said with a smile, "We'll go somewhere public, but comfortable, where we can all talk…"

* * *

"Nanaki, how old are you?" Aerith asked bluntly.

"Thirty-one," the red beast answered.

Aerith giggled. "I think you're older than my mother."

"Thirty-one is only about ten in human years," said Nanaki, "Deneh and I are kids like you. Shuroya and Kimu are the adults. They had the life-mating ceremony, or what you humans would refer to as a 'wedding'. Now we're just waiting for them to start a family."

"You mean they'll have babies one day?" Aerith asked, intrigued.

"Correct," said Nanaki.

Aerith reached out and patted the beast's nose. "I wonder if their fur would be as soft as yours?"

"That's the second time you've done that already," the young creature groused.

"You said your nose was itchy before!" Aerith argued.

"That wasn't an invitation to go scratch it yourself!" Nanaki protested.

"That's just Aerith being 'helpful'," Sephiroth piped up.

Nanaki turned and regarded Sephiroth carefully. "So you _do_ know how to speak. I was beginning to wonder."

Sephiroth wasn't sure what to say in response to that. Instead he asked:

"Have you and your people always lived here?"

"Yes. My tribe were protectors of those who appreciate this beautiful canyon, and the planet," Nanaki answered proudly, "The four of us are the last of our race."

"_I_ like this place," Aerith said brightly, "Will you protect _me_ from the bad people?"

Nanaki's tail waved from side to side. "Of course!" he answered cheerfully.

"Why are there so few of you left?" Sephiroth asked.

"Seph, isn't that what Mama calls a 'personal question'?" Aerith chided the older boy.

"It's all right," said Nanaki, "Our people did once thrive, until we were invaded by an enemy tribe twenty years ago. You see, we had been at odds with a society known as the Gi Tribe. They practiced black magic."

Aerith scowled. "Black magic?"

"Yes. They commanded the elements for the purpose of gaining power. Despite being against the then fledgling Shinra company, their practices were just as questionable."

"In short, they were hypocrites," Sephiroth concluded.

"Yes," Nanaki agreed solemnly, "They were. When they attacked, my people sacrificed themselves to protect the residents of this place…as a penance. When the Cetra were decimated so many centuries ago, my people blamed themselves for failing to save them. You see…we originated as their familiars, but evolved alongside of them."

"Aerith- don't wander off too far!" Sephiroth called after the child, wondering why the caves seemed to interest her more than learning about her people.

"Don't worry," Nanaki reassured the boy, "Any child can easily find their way out of here. All they have to do if they get separated from their friends, is to wait by the front gate. Let's follow her and enjoy ourselves!"

He turned and bounded off into one of the cave openings, leaving the serious discussion for another time.

Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders and took off after his new acquaintance.

* * *

"Where are we?" Ifalna asked as Barnabas and Terrato led her into an ice cream parlor.

"This is the 'Ice Palace'," Barnabas told her as he led her to a small table and sat down. "I brought us here early, about an hour before the noontime rush. They've got everything from ice water, to frozen drinks, not to mention ice cream and frozen yogurt."

"Oh my…" Ifalna said as she set her handbag aside and sat down. She picked up a menu. "I feel like the kids right now. I'm afraid I haven't had anything nice like this in…I can't remember. The last time I was free, I was living up north near Icicle Inn. Hot chocolate was more their specialty."

"I'm glad we can help add a little something bright to your world, then," Barnabas said, suddenly solemn.

"Oh, cheer up, you!" Ifalna said, forcing a smile, "If I'm not going to dwell on my captivity, then I forbid _you_ to do so!"

"I'm just very upset to know my hunch was so damned accurate," said Barnabas.

Ifalna scowled. "Your hunch?"

"Welcome to The Ice Palace!" a waiter said cheerfully, "What can I get you?"

"One 'Sour Apple Blitz'," said Barnabas.

"Lemon vitamin water with ice," Terrato requested.

The waiter scribbled down the order and then looked expectantly at Ifalna.

"Uh…" Ifalna looked at the menu. She then closed her eyes and brought her index finger down on a random spot on the menu.

"Blue Raspberry Cyclone…" the waiter said as he wrote it down, "I'll just take your menus and be back with your orders in a few!"

Barnabas watched the waiter leave, and then spoke:

"I originally lived in Sector Seven. I was a Shinra employee. Just a part-time delivery driver going to Sector Three Community College. Wanted to save some money so I could transfer to Ragnarok University, and Shinra was always the highest-paying employer. Pretty much a no-brainer when you're seventeen.

"So one morning, I'm unloading barrels with my co-workers. Something went very wrong, and one of the barrels wasn't fastened tightly. I get drenched with what I found out later, was mako. I was freaking out…everyone was. Mako was still experimental back then, and I thought I'd either mutate into some kinda monster, or that I'd get cancer and die. After a crapload of tests, they determined neither would happen, and we all went about our lives. Then my bosses noticed how much stronger I became. Somebody talked, and back to the labs for testing I went. They told me it was the mako that made me stronger, and began dousing me in even more of the stuff. Eventually, they started offering me a lot of money for a mysterious "position" in their science department.

"I've always prided myself on my gut, and just like all the other times in my life, it warned me that something was up. I asked them for a couple of days to look over the contract they drew up, told them I wanted to show it to a friend who was a lawyer…just gave 'em a whole bunch of B.S. It bought me just enough time to get the hell away from them. I took a ride out of Midgar with Master Terrato, who happened to be leaving for Cosmo Canyon. I never looked back."

Ifalna stared carefully at the younger man.

"Quite a story, I know," he chuckled.

"You don't know anything about me," Ifalna said, shaking her head reproachfully, "Who's to say I really was a prisoner, and not a spy hired by Shinra to track you down and bring you back? Maybe I was going to use my daughter to get you to let your guard down. It's the kind of thing a Shinra employee would do. I could have used that information, and had you in custody by the next day."

Barnabas raised an eyebrow at Ifalna. "I don't think that's true at all. Maybe _you_ could have been a great actress, but no five-year-old can act that open and sweet, and have such a deceitful mother. It wouldn't be possible."

"So you just told me your big story after knowing me for approximately one day because…?"

"Because the people of Cosmo Canyon hate the Shinra with a passion," said Terrato, "We embody the exact opposite traits that the Shinra embodies. They lie, steal, bribe, threaten and enslave. Here, well, I could tell you until I'm blue in the face, but I'd rather you simply take the time to see for yourself."

"Here are your drinks," the water said briskly as he unloaded the glasses on his tray onto the table. "Enjoy!"

"What exactly is it that you're trying to get at?" Ifalna asked. She then began sipping her drink through the fancy colored straw, marveling at it changed colors when the drink touched the inside.

"Cosmo Canyon is more than just a community that is against Shinra in passing," said Terrato, "I mean the fact that we're offering you, a fugitive, asylum here. I know that Kimu told you as much, but she didn't go into detail. That's where I come in."

Ifalna eyed the older man carefully. "Go on."

Terrato nodded. "There are a lot of stories from the residents of this sanctuary. It's not just Barnabas, and it's not just you and those children. There are many people here who have been wronged by the Shinra. They've lost their jobs, their homes, their families, their pride, even innocence…and people are getting restless. They want justice. They want revenge. They want the planet to still be standing when their grandchildren are born."

"No one knows why we all managed to gravitate to the same place," said Barnabas, "though we all have our theories…most of them involving Elder Bugenhagen. He has the 'semi-senile wise old man' demeanor, and he simply chuckles when people have asked him if he summoned us all here. Like him, we're all devoted to the planet's well-being. Call us eco-warriors, if you will…or at least, we aim to be. Ex-soldiers who train their children in the art of combat, hoping for the day when we can strike back at Shinra…our formidable numbers burying that fascist regime like an avalanche."

"You aim to declare war on Shinra?" Ifalna asked, her fingers clenching around her drink nervously.

Suddenly, the glass shattered in her hand, the shards cutting her skin as the blue slush splattered onto Ifalna, and the table. With a cry of pain, she stood up, and stared at her now bleeding hand.

"Are you all right?" Barnabas exclaimed as he and Terrato stood up as well.

"The mako tank…" Ifalna mumbled, completely overwhelmed.

She had noticed for a while that had become much stronger since coming out of the mako tank. From the way she had stomped down on the gas pedal during their escape, to having more energy, and now this.

It was too much. She turned around, and ran out the establishment, through the other exit leading into the pedestrian transit tunnels. She kept running, faster than she had ever known herself able to.

Only until she remembered her bleeding hand did she manage to stop. She ran her other hand over the wound, closing the cuts, leaving nothing but residual blood on her hand. She the looked up and realized she was standing in the middle of a large cavern with a natural-looking fountain gushing in the middle. For a moment, her mind went blank as she stared at the beautiful sight.

A two-foot-high wall made of cobblestone circled around the ten-foot spray of water, which pooled at the bottom, where it looked to be about a foot deep. The floor and ceiling were completely smooth, as if they had been painstakingly polished. On opposite sides of the cavern, there were two stone benches.

"So you found the Geomancer's Grotto."

Ifalna jumped, startled out of her reverie. She turned and saw Barnabas standing behind her.

"Beautiful place," he went on, "No one really knows when this was created. They believe it was the work of the Ancients; a particular group of individuals known as geomancers."

Ifalna kept staring at the fountain, but the word "geomancer" triggered something inside of her. No memories were awakened, but she was certain that "geomancer" held some kind of importance to her.

"Master Terrato worried you might be overwhelmed when we told you all of this," said Barnabas. "I'll admit, it's a lot to take in. We were trying to make you understand just how secure you would be here."

"Secure…" Ifalna whispered, shaking her head. "Were Shuroya and Kimu 'secure'?"

"That was another terrible thing to happen," Barnabas sighed as he stared at the fountain. "They're life-mates. Husband and wife, you could say. Really, they were newlyweds. And they were on what _their _people refer to as the 'life-mate pilgrimage'. It's what _we_ refer to as a honeymoon. They wanted to go to the Ancient Forest. They never came back."

"I see…" Ifalna said, nodding sadly. "Having something so wonderful end so brutally. I can relate all too well."

After all, she had just given birth to Aerith only a few weeks ago. She and Faremis had just started a family…only for Hojo to destroy their life together.

"Now…" Barnabas said slowly, "…I doubt they'll ever want to leave here again."

"That's how I feel," Ifalna said, wrapping her arms around herself in response to the chill creeping up her spine. "You have this area guarded like a fort. Shinra's army would really have to make an effort to get to us."

Suddenly, Barnabas winced painfully as he sank to one knee, clutching his leg painfully.

"Are you all right?" Ifalna asked.

"Just a cramp," Barnabas grunted, "I'm a grappler- not a runner. I had to give it all I had to keep up with you."

"I'm sorry…" Ifalna couldn't think of anything else to say as she knelt down next to him.

"You're a fast runner," he remarked, laughing in spite of the pain.

"I didn't used to be," she said, her hands fidgeting nervously, "You had mako spilled on you by accident. I was submerged in it for two months, although I'm sure they would have done something to weaken me afterward, if they had the chance. And of course, Sephiroth has had injections of it all of his life, and then some."

"God, I feel like it's my fault," Barnabas said, shaking his head sadly.

"They would have figured out what mako can do to people eventually. It's the fault of people like Professor Hojo, President Shinra, and all of the people who allow these atrocities to happen," Ifalna corrected him, "But you're underestimating the Shinra if you think that one settlement can adequately wage war with such an advanced organization."

"It's not open war we're talking about," said Barnabas, "Not yet, anyway. That could be a good fifteen-to-twenty years away."

"Perfect," Ifalna laughed bitterly, "Aerith will be just the right age to march right into battle."

"Unlike the Shinra, we'd never force her to do anything she didn't want to," Barnabas said quickly, "I think I'd rather see that kid find her 'happily ever after', wouldn't you?"

Ifalna watched as Barnabas struggled to stand up. For a moment, she hesitated, but then reminded herself that no one here would punish her for doing the right thing.

"Here, let me…" she said as she put her hands on his leg. A soft green glow emitted from her palms.

"Wow…" Barnabas remarked, "That feels different."

Ifalna smiled kindly at him. "Now stand up."

Warily, Barnabas got to his feet and leaned on his afflicted leg. To his surprise, the pain was gone.

"That's some pretty strong materia you have on you," he stated.

"I don't have any materia on me," she said.

Barnabas stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Ifalna's muscles began tensing up. She knew it was now or never.

"I'm a Cetra," she blurted out.

Barnabas and stared at Ifalna, but did not respond. The woman continued to speak:

"Well, you knew the Shinra had me imprisoned, and that they're trying to track me down. But it seems like the only difference between your story and mine is that you were clever enough to get out while you had the chance. Me…I had, and still have amnesia. I thought the Shinra were trying to help me when they took me in. But all it took was a few blood tests, and they realized I wasn't human…and there went my freedom.

"But it's hard…you see, if I had refused the Shinra's help in getting my memory back, I'd have never met Aerith's father. And I just can't imagine my life without my daughter. It sounds cliché, but it's like imagining life without air, or water: impossible."

Barnabas nodded thoughtfully.

"I can read people," said Ifalna, "So can Aerith. I guess you could call it a 'gut feeling' like yours. But my problem is, I didn't trust it after I lost my memory. How can you when you've forgotten just how important it is? Oh, but I trust it now, and I've told Aerith to always trust hers. My gut tells me I can trust you."

Barnabas smiled sheepishly.

"Well then, why'd you run off?" he asked her.

Ifalna's brow furrowed as her green eyes stared at the floor. She clasped her hands together nervously.

"The idea of going to war with these people who put me through five years of hell is incredibly scary," she admitted, "I know it's probably the only way I'll ever be able to live my life without having to always be on my guard. But at the same time, it's terrifying! Even if it's years away like you said, it's still going to happen. Will we be prepared for when they try to bomb us, and cause the entire cave system to collapse and crush everyone? Then _they_ would be the ones causing the 'avalanche' you mentioned."

"Thankfully, we have time," Terrato said as he stepped into the grotto. "We also technically have no quarrel with the Shinra. Before we strike, we'll want allies. We're not the only ones in the world who are against the spread of Shinra's power. My friends in Wutai, Corel, Rocket Town, and Mideel, all tell me that the respective people in charge are uneasy over Shinra's presence in Junon, Nibelheim, and Gongaga."

"They have every reason to feel that way," Ifalna stated firmly.

"However," Terrato continued, "it's what my friends in Midgar have to say that is of particular interest. Your young friend Sephiroth may very well be key in slowing down Shinra's progress."

Ifalna sat down on a bench against the wall and gazed at the fountain again. "I know he was supposed to be the prototype for a new kind of soldier. And after our escape, I've finally seen what it is he can do. He's incredibly powerful."

"That power would have been used to subdue all of the other major lands," said Terrato, "and now it's gone. If he's the prototype…well, we don't know how much progress was made with adapting his abilities to that of others."

"Not even close," said Ifalna, "Sephiroth told me, while we were on the boat from Heimar Port, that Hojo planned to have a squad of new soldiers by the end of the year. It's May now. I don't know how much Sephiroth's absence is interfering with that."

"I'm confident it is," said Terrato, "Sephiroth's absence may very well be the first key to winning the fight against the Shinra."

"Winning against Shinra…" Ifalna couldn't help but laugh. "That's such a wonderful combination of words. You really think we could do it?"

"Absolutely!" Barnabas said with a grin.

"We'd have two very powerful people on our side," said Terrato, "Sephiroth, and the only known living Ancient."

"You were eavesdropping?" Ifalna pointed accusingly at the older man. Still, she smiled as she shook her head reprovingly.

"Forgive me," Terrato chuckled, "My friends always say I'm a sucker for gossip. But I promise we'll keep your true heritage secret to the canyon, just as we have kept the firecat race to ourselves."

"So _that's_ the name of our four-legged friends," said Ifalna, looking slightly relieved, "I'd wondered if they had a name, but I didn't want to ask in case it sounded rude."

"Will you join our cause, Ifalna?" Barnabas asked hopefully, "I feel bad that we bombarded you with this so soon after you got here. But at the same time…I just want you to know that you and the kids are safe."

"What they did to you and the children is an abomination," Terrato added gravely. "Shinra's influence must be eliminated if the planet is to carry on. Bugenhagen's machine says that the planet is in pain."

Ifalna leaned against the wall and sighed. "Yes…" she said, "The planet _is_ in pain. Every day, I hear it cry out just a little more than the day before. I hear its cries, but I feel powerless to stop it."

"You don't have to be powerless," said Terrato, "The choice is up to you."

They were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. A young woman around the same age as Ifalna arrived, panting heavily, trying to speak.

"M-master Terrato!" she panted.

"What's the matter?" the grappling instructor asked, noting the worried look on her face.

"It's Elfé!" she exclaimed, "She's collapsed again! That boy…" she glanced over at Ifalna, "…with the silver hair…I swear, he practically teleported her over to Dr. Triton's- like he appeared out of nowhere!."

"Let's go," Terrato said instantly.

"The boy insisted that I find you as well," the woman said to Ifalna.

The Cetra nodded, and promptly followed Terrato and the others back into the walkway.

* * *

"Mama!" Aerith said as Ifalna entered the lobby of the small hospital, "Something bad happened!"

"I know, Aerith," Ifalna said as she placed a reassuring hand on Aerith's shoulder, "I'm going to see if I can help."

Sephiroth, who had been sitting next to the little girl, stood up. "This is more than a bump on the head," he said, "But all the same…I told them if anyone could help, it'd be you."

Ifalna smiled as she reached out and patted Sephiroth's cheek. It had only taken four years for the boy to stop wincing whenever she did that.

Another boy who looked to be a few years older than Sephiroth walked into the lobby from down the hall. Running a hand through his dark messy hair, he adjusted his glasses and spoke:

"She's stable. Dr. Triton is with her now. However, she's worried about the increasing frequency of these attacks. She's beginning to think Elfé shouldn't be training anymore."

The tone of his voice clearly indicated that he disagreed.

"That's up to Elfé," said Terrato, "May we see her? I have a friend with me who might be able to help."

"Another doctor?" The boy with the glasses tilted his head, regarding Ifalna curiously.

For some reason, the boy looking at Ifalna made her skin crawl. There was something too familiar about him...

"Not exactly…" she forced herself to say, while maintaining a civil tone. "I suppose you could call me a healer."

"You're the woman that arrived here the other day with Dr. Triton," the young man realized. He smiled politely and held out his hand. "My name is Fuhito. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ifalna managed to mask her feelings of utter revulsion as she forced herself to shake his hand. She wasn't sure _why_ she was so afraid, but she was, and she knew that she must never let him sense that. She had learned long ago to never make that same mistake. Hojo knew all too well that she was terrified of him, and seemed to get an almost perverse satisfaction from making her tremble in terror.

_Hojo._

Why was she suddenly thinking about him?

* * *

Sephiroth looked around the lobby restlessly. Aerith was busying herself with a large piece of paper and a box of crayons than one of the nurses had given her. The place was empty, save for the two of them, and a receptionist up front. Ifalna and the old man had been with Dr. Triton and Fuhito, looking after the girl for the past half-hour.

He and Nanaki had been chasing after Aerith in the tunnels, known to many residents as the "kids' cavern". It had been interesting, albeit slightly frustrating. He could outrun Aerith in a matter of seconds. However, the way the area was constructed, all she had to do was lose him for two seconds, and she could disappear into any number of pathways. He knew that all she needed to do was find and climb up one of the ladders, and she'd be back at the entrance in no time. However, the girl had no interest in doing so, and kept baiting him to come and catch her.

Nanaki had completely enjoyed himself the entire time, and occasionally teased Sephiroth over his easy frustration.

When she finally called to them from the upper level, saying she was ready to go to the entrance, he had prepared to endure her teasing him for the rest of the day. When he saw her at the entrance, however, she looked at him, her expression frightened as she pointed ahead.

A girl who looked to be about his age, was on her knees, panting hard and clutching her forehead. He immediately rushed over and asked if she was all right. The girl seemed as if she were about to respond, only to violently retch on the ground. Sephiroth managed to catch her before she could collapse and land in her own vomit.

Nanaki instantly recognized the girl. She was called Elfé, and lived with the head of the Academy of Non-Striking Martial Arts(ANSMA). He had instructed Sephiroth to bring her to Dr. Triton immediately. Sephiroth had then asked Nanaki to escort Aerith back from the Kids' Cavern, and shot into the air, much to Nanaki's amazement. It had taken less than a minute to bring Elfé straight to Dr. Triton herself, who immediately brought her to Cosmo Canyon's medical lodge.

"Did you hear all those voices?" Aerith asked suddenly, bringing Sephiroth back to the present.

He tilted his head to look at her. "Voices?" he asked.

"Yup! When that girl was throwing up, there were voices. They…" she looked puzzled, "…were coming from her _hand_. Isn't that funny?"

Sephiroth scowled. "Indeed. Are these like the voices you normally hear?"

Aerith furrowed her brow. "Yes…and no. That's why I asked if you heard them too."

"So what did the voices say?"

Aerith sighed. "You know I can't understand what those kinds of voices say. I ask them to slow down. So does Mama. They never listen."

"She can probably hear the voices too, then? The ones coming from the girl's hand?"

"Mama? Of course she does."

"Hmm…" Sephiroth mumbled thoughtfully. He then looked at her drawing. "What's that?"

"That's us, silly! You, me, and Mama at our new home."

"Why are you taller than me?"

Aerith glared at Sephiroth. "That was an accident. Nobody's perfect, _Sephiroth!_"

Sephiroth had to keep himself from laughing. That child was absolutely hilarious whenever she got angry, but laughing at her when she was in that state was only asking for trouble. He bit his lip and watched as she continued to draw.

"Why is Hojo in the picture?" he then asked, frowning at the man whose back was now bent at an absurd angle, courtesy of Aerith's crayons.

Aerith giggled. "He's mad because he can't find us. And he _never will!_" she said pointedly to the drawing. She then blew a raspberry.

Sephiroth settled deeper into his chair and closed his eyes. He certainly hoped Hojo never would track them down. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he was certain that patricide would be the one exception to his new rule.

"When am I getting my present?" Aerith asked.

Sephiroth opened his eyes again. "Huh?"

"You said that if we won the game, you'd buy me something special. Well…living here means we won…doesn't it?"

Sephiroth nodded. He had forgotten about that promise. Leave it to Aerith to remember. Oh well. At least he had two-hundred gil that Ifalna had given him. That had surprised him, as he had trusted her enough to hold onto all of the money they had received from their stolen bounty. Funny…it was almost as if she were his mother, giving him his allowance.

In a secret part of his mind, Sephiroth occasionally allowed himself to entertain the idea of Ifalna being his mother. Truth be told, he wasn't even sure what mothers were really supposed to be like, aside from what he saw on TV. It wasn't until he saw over the years how Ifalna behaved around Aerith, that he understood. She treated her daughter as if she were the most precious thing on the planet. When he said that out loud to her one day, she simply blinked and stared at him as if he had called water wet, or the sun bright.

Finally, Ifalna stepped into the lobby, followed by Terrato.

"How is she?" Sephiroth asked.

Terrato shook his head in wonder. "Amazing…" he said, "We've known for so long that there was something wrong with Elfé. But all the tests we ran on her to see what was wrong…they all came up negative. There were a couple of times where she would be out for days. But in the end, she always woke up. And then there's the matter of her strength. It rivals that of myself…of Barnabas, for all his mako super-strength!"

_Would it rival mine?_ Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder to himself.

"Are you Elfé's daddy?" Aerith asked.

"Sort of," Terrato told her. "You see, Elfé has lived in Cosmo Canyon with me for the past three years. Fuhito found her wandering the wilderness south of Nibelheim one day, while he was on a spiritual retreat with me and several other people. She was half-starved, incoherent, and had lost her memory."

Ifalna's eyes widened. That was the first time anybody had mentioned that to her.

"There was something about that girl," Terrato went on, "and I just took to her. I took her into my home and raised her, and I started training her. She then expanded her fighting skills from grappling, to swordsmanship. Barnabas taught her everything he knows. He's the weapons expert around here. She and Fuhito frequently talk about strategy and fight tactics. He even bought her several books on the subject."

"She took to combat like a fish takes to water. It's absolutely amazing the way she can fight. When she's not ill…she's incredibly strong…and so fast."

"I should like to spar with her sometime," said Sephiroth, "And if that Fuhito fellow enjoys reading up on strategy, I'd like to pick his brain sometime.

Ifalna shook her head. "I told Dr. Triton: absolutely no strenuous activity before surgery."

She would talk to Sephiroth regarding her concerns about Fuhito later, but for now, kept her opinions of him to herself.

"They're gonna cut her open?" Aerith asked worriedly.

"There's a materia implanted in her hand," said Ifalna, "I don't know how it got there, but somebody clearly had very bad intentions for that poor girl. It gives her strength, yet saps her energy. It may not get much worse today or tomorrow, but if that materia remains inside of her, then eventually she'll die."

"Nibelheim, you said?" Sephiroth asked.

Terrato nodded.

"That might explain a few things…" the boy said, "There is a laboratory, located at the bottom of a large mansion that serves as a place for the employees to live."

"You think she might have been just one more test subject?" Ifalna asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "I think so. When I was eight, I was given a tour of the reactor and the basement."

He did not mention the horrible nightmares that kept him up the entire night while he stayed in Nibelheim. He had been glad to leave that place the following morning.

"I'll be treating her," said Ifalna, "I'll help her body prepare for the surgery. Removing the materia will be dangerous, but if I can…lend her the support of the Lifestream…then I think she'll be okay. Dr. Triton's still running tests on her to figure out when she should operate."

"Tests?" Aerith looked frightened. "No, Mama! You said no more tests!"

Ifalna sat down next to Aerith. She pulled her into her lap and held her close. "We still need to see a doctor when we're sick, little one. And every once in a while, we need to see them to make sure we don't get sick. But when I said no more tests, I mean that we don't have to have them every day…or even every week. But in a couple of days, we're all going to get checked out by Dr. Triton, just to make sure we're okay. But she won't hurt us. And remember the ice cream."

"Oh yeah!" Aerith recalled as a smile lit up her face.

"You didn't mention anything to me about a check-up," Sephiroth said disapprovingly.

"That's because I made arrangements just before we came out," Ifalna explained to him. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"And remember the ice cream!" Aerith repeated her mother's words.

Ifalna and Terrato both laughed. Sephiroth found himself fighting a smile himself.

"Why don't you go on back to the inn along with Aerith?" Ifalna suggested, "I've got something I need to discuss with Master Terrato here before I catch up."

Sephiroth nodded, and then stood up. He held his hand out to Aerith, and she immediately grabbed it. He led her out of the lobby.

"I suppose you've made a decision, if you wish to speak to me alone?" Terrato asked.

Ifalna closed her eyes and sighed. Escaping from Shinra had been terrifying. She had been shot at, nearly run off the road, and when she had thought she was safe, she had been struck by her own savior, nearly knocking her out. Now she worried about his sanity, and the safety of herself and Aerith. On top of that, she was seeing another young person that had possibly been victimized by the Shinra.

However, she was here in the melting pot known as Cosmo Canyon, where a handful of people had already sworn up and down that she was safe. And now they were telling her that in addition to security, _justice_ might also be possible? Would people like President Shinra, Professor Hojo, and other people eventually be held responsible for their actions?

And finally…they wanted to help the planet. During the nearly seven years since she had woken up alone in the abandoned city, only remembering her name, she had _never_ heard anybody talking like that, save for her late husband.

Was there really a choice?

She smiled and nodded. "I'll help you, Master Terrato. I'll admit, I'm scared, but in the end, it's the only way I can think of to ensure that Aerith, Sephiroth and I can one day live in a world where we don't have to always be looking over our shoulders."

Terrato smiled and placed his hand on Ifalna's shoulder.

"I'll cast my lot with you," Ifalna said laughing, "and join your 'avalanche', as Barnabas put it..."


	9. Chapter 8: Nightmares

A/N: I've decided that this will be an "M"-rated story.

Shout-outs:

Badnephilim: I have in my mind this saga being split into two large stories. At this point, I don't see Vincent entering the scene until the beginning of the second story. This story is more about battling Jenova and finding out who Ifalna really is.

Catxangel: Ifalna and Aerith are just two members of the Cetra. Jenova was able to royally screw with the entire race. Sephiroth's still going to have his work cut out for him.

JazzQueen: They still don't know where the line is between acceptable and abuse. It's rather sad. Good thing Ifalna can already sense something's up with Fuhito. However, if Elfé is cured, there will be no Zirconiade… ;)

Greatazuredragon: Ifalna said in the original game that Aerith would need to grow up tough. She wouldn't say that without being a tough one herself. And since she's a full-blooded Cetra to Aerith's half, she may prove to be an incredible asset.

What I really hate seeing in fanfiction is too many times, Ifalna's ghost is WAY too…messiah-like. Not trying to offend with that statement, but I've honestly read fics where she addresses Aerith using the word "thou". No. Just, no. Play the game. She talked like a normal person. Not enough fics portray her as just an ordinary woman who loved her kid and got all bashful when addressing her new husband as "honey". An ordinary person who loses part of their family, and their freedom, is going to have some issues.

Anyway, enough ranting. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8: Nightmares

"Seph, I don't think we should be doing this," said Aerith as she clutched her stuffed moogle to her chest, "I don't think Mama wants us to go too far from town."

"I just want to watch," Sephiroth told her, "Barnabas is right up ahead. We know him. We've eaten dinner with him and Dr. Triton twice since we've been living here. Your mom is always talking to him."

The two children had followed Barnabas from a distance; about a quarter of a mile from the main part of town. They were now crouching quietly behind a large boulder, while Barnabas worked out on a rocky platform

"What's he doing?" Aerith wondered aloud.

"Kata," Sephiroth answered simply as he watched the man performing a series of strikes and blocks with a straight-bladed ninjato sword.

"Huh?" Aerith looked confused.

"He's practicing kata," Sephiroth explained quietly to her, "What he's doing is, he's pretending that one or more people are attacking him. He's blocking their attacks, and then attacking back. Ka-ta."

"He's still standing…" Aerith observed, "I guess that means he's winning."

Barnabas executed a flying kick while at the same time, slashing elegantly to the side of him.

"I've seen plenty of Shinra army trainees falling on their rears doing much simpler forms," Sephiroth whispered, "He hasn't stumbled once. He's good."

"Why do we have to be quiet?" Aerith asked.

"I don't want to disturb him," Sephiroth told her, "I want to watch. We can always talk to him after-"

His words were interrupted by a flying beetle that began buzzing around them. Aerith screeched and covered her face.

Barnabas spun around. "Who's there?" he asked loudly.

Much to Sephiroth's chagrin, Aerith quickly popped up from behind the rock, her hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"Oh!" Barnabas laughed, "It's just you! Say, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"She's not," Sephiroth said as he stood up, showing himself.

Barnabas tilted his head and regarded the two children with a smirk. "You guys trying to sneak up on me? Maybe play some kind of prank on the unsuspecting grown-up?"

"No, Seph just wanted to watch you fight all those pretend bad guys," Aerith said, making Sephiroth cringe.

"Ah, I did hear you mention during dinner the other day that you're a swordsman," said Barnabas, "What kind of sword did you used to use?"

Sephiroth raised his left hand and summoned Masamune, startling Barnabas. He then smirked.

"This one," he answered.

"How did you…?" Barnabas was at a loss for words.

"It's special," Sephiroth explained, "It's synthesized using the same properties used in the making of summoning and exit materia. I can summon it at will, because it's actually linked to my consciousness. It has to be that way, considering how impractical a sheath is for something of this length. Since it only responds to me, I'm the only one who can really use it, despite anyone being able to pick it up."

"Wow…" Barnabas whispered in awe as he stared at the extra long odachi.

"It's the longest sword in the world!" Aerith said as she spread her arms wide for emphasis.

"Care to spar?" Sephiroth asked, "It's been weeks, and I'm getting rather restless."

"Okay," said Barnabas, snapping out of his reverie at the challenge, "But don't think you've got the advantage just because you have a long-ranged weapon. Part of being a good warrior is closing the gap."

Sephiroth smirked again. "Bring it on."

"Aerith, darlin', why don't you go sit by that giant rock again," Barnabas suggested, "If this boy's as good as Master Terrato's contacts say he is, this could get a bit dangerous."

"Do what he says," Sephiroth said in agreement.

Aerith obeyed and went back, sitting on a smaller rock nearby.

"Say the word, Aerith," Sephiroth said, recalling when he would let Aerith "referee" his sparring matches with Wolff. Suddenly, he felt a knot growing. He immediately pushed the memory out of his head. Wolff could haunt his nightmares as much as he wanted(and he was), but now, he was about to face off, and with a brand-new opponent.

"Hajime!" Aerith shouted, as she always did.

For a moment, it felt like old times for Sephiroth. What he couldn't understand was why that somehow comforted him. Almost as if he were…homesick?

Outraged at the idea, he slashed violently at Barnabas, as if trying to shred such a thought to pieces.

* * *

Ifalna sat nervously in the lobby of Dr. Triton's office, waiting for the doctor to come out.

She and the children had all been checked out by the good doctor a few days ago. While Aerith and Sephiroth were given clean bills of health, something in Ifalna's blood test results had troubled the doctor. She had phoned the inn yesterday and asked Ifalna to come in the office as soon as she could the next day.

_"It's probably nothing…just a glitch in the equipment. I just want a new blood and urine sample, and I need to check your vitals once more. Then there's something else I wanted to ask you about…nothing bad- I assure you!"_

"Ifalna?"

She looked up and saw a young man wearing a white lab coat, polishing a stethoscope.

"I'm Dr. Palidor," he said, "Dr. Triton sends her apologies. There was an emergency with a family that lives about a mile from town and she had to go right away."

"Oh, don't worry," Ifalna said with a smile, "I've no problem with re-scheduling."

"Actually, she asked me to cover for her while she was gone, so I can take a look at you instead," he said.

Ifalna froze, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

Dr. Palidor noticed her expression. "I mean, if you want to re-schedule, that's fine too. She can see you tomorrow if you'd prefer."

_Don't be stupid, Ifalna…_she told herself. _Your health is more important than…old feelings. If there's something wrong, you need to know as soon as possible!_

"No, let's figure out what this issue is right now," Ifalna said, forcing a cheerful tone to her voice.

"You sure?"

She beamed at him. "Absolutely!"

She followed him into one of the rooms down the hall. To her relief, there was no exam gown waiting for her to change into.

"We'll start with a simple urine test," the young man said as he held out an empty jar for her, "Then I need just one small blood sample. Then I check your vitals to compare to last time, and you can be on your way."

Ifalna nodded and took the jar, entering the tiny bathroom nearby and closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Seph, let him up!" Aerith protested.

It had been a five-minute match. Barnabas had held his own for a good three minutes before fatigue began to overtake him. Had anyone else been his opponent, that would never have happened. The only person who could actually outmatch him on strength and stamina was Elfé, but even she was beatable due to her lack of technique. She had only been training with a sword for the past eighteen months. Sephiroth matched her in strength, but had trained for five years, and was left-handed(always an advantage, as it allowed such swordsmen to see things from a different perspective, literally).

Shinra really _had_ lost a powerful weapon when he had escaped.

Now Barnabas lay flat on his back, his sword having flown out of his hand. He took a deep breath as Sephiroth released his foot from his chest and extended his hand to him. Barnabas gave him his hand and allowed himself to be helped up to his feet.

"You're scary when you fight," Aerith said, her voice slightly disapproving.

"On the contrary," a voice said before Sephiroth could respond, "He's quite amazing. I'm extremely impressed."

Everyone looked to see Fuhito standing only a few feet away from the rock upon which Aerith perched.

"You might just become the new child prodigy of Cosmo Canyon, now that Elfé will probably lose her powers," the bespectacled young man continued, before he turned around and left, just as quickly as he had come.

Sephiroth stiffened. Ifalna had taken him aside the other night and voiced her concerns over Fuhito. He had long ago learned to trust her ability to read others, and knew that if Fuhito gave her a bad vibe, then he should be cautious. On the other hand, however, Dr. Triton had hired him as her assistant, which he had been for the past six months. He found himself trusting the good-natured doctor as well.

So which one of them was right?

* * *

"I guess I can see why Dr. Triton was so concerned," Dr. Palidor remarked as he put away the full jar that Ifalna had handed him, "You look rather pale."

Ifalna barely heard what the man was saying, as she kept telling herself silently to stay calm.

"Now I just need to check your glands," the young doctor said as he put on a pair of rubber gloves.

Ifalna stiffened as the young man prodded underneath her chin with his fingers.

_It'snotlikebeforeit'snotlikebefore…_the words rushed through her mind like a mantra as she shut her eyes tightly.

However, when she felt his fingers closing around her wrist, she began to scream. A loud crackle could be heard as she shot to her feet, and the doctor suddenly cried out in pain.

"_Get away from me!_" Ifalna shrieked as she blindly ran out of the office.

* * *

The doctor opened his eyes only minutes later. He stared up at the ceiling, not ready to move yet. His entire body was now shaking, and he could swear that he smelled something burning…his hair?

He finally got to his feet when the twitching stopped. He walked over to the mirror above the sink and looked to make sure he wasn't bruised anywhere. His jaw dropped as he saw his hair looking singed, and his face charred. He had only tried to take her pulse, and in a matter of seconds, he now looked and felt almost as if he'd been…struck by lightning. It couldn't have been materia though, or else he wouldn't still be standing.

He had already begun to hear rumors about Ifalna from the townspeople, and wondered what the hell was going on.

* * *

Ifalna sat on a bench outside of the Shildra Inn that night, contemplating the stars on the horizon. Ever since escaping from the Shinra, she always took time to sit outside and appreciate the stars…as if any night might be her last chance to enjoy them.

The children were upstairs. Aerith had already gone to sleep, while Sephiroth stayed up reading a book. Ifalna hoped Sephiroth's night would be peaceful. The boy seemed to wake in a panic every night now. The other night, he had apparently woken Aerith up with his nightmares, despite Ifalna sleeping through the whole thing. When she awoke, she saw Aerith curled up in Sephiroth's bed next to the boy, probably having offered to keep his dreams safe. One's heart could not help but be warmed by the logic of five-year-olds.

By the time the two had come back to the inn to meet her for dinner, she had long since stopped crying, and was able to put on the strong mother act. Neither of the children had suspected anything was wrong. Hers was an act that she had perfected years ago, for Aerith's sake mostly, but also for Sephiroth's. The last thing she wanted was to become another bitter or half-crazed adult in the boy's life.

"Ifalna?"

Dr. Triton had emerged from the walkway, and approached the young mother, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Hello, Doctor," Ifalna said uneasily, knowing what would be coming next.

"I just came to see if you were all right," said Dr. Triton, "I got back just a half-hour ago. Dr. Palidor told me you had a panic attack and ran out of the office when he tried to do your checkup. He also seemed to be in a bad way, but couldn't really explain what had happened. He said that when he saw himself in the mirror, he looked like one of those cartoon characters that was hit by a bolt of lightning."

Ifalna closed her eyes and refused to look at the doctor.

"I…didn't know you were going to be out of town…" she mumbled, "I tried to reason with myself first…I didn't mean to hurt him…the lightning is something that happens when I'm scared or startled. There's no materia involved."

"There was an emergency house-call…" Dr. Triton tried to explain, but trailed off and gazed at the young woman, realizing that she was still shaken up from whatever had happened.

"Care to go inside and talk about it?" she asked softly.

"Let's stay out here," Ifalna suggested as she glanced upwards nervously. "I don't want Aerith or Sephiroth to overhear this…ever."

That was all it took for the doctor to have an idea of what this was about.

"Was it that Hojo man?" she asked sharply.

Ifalna laughed in spite of herself. "God, no…I have my doubts he even sired Sephiroth in the normal way. He sees me as an animal…not one of those whores I've seen on his arm when he's being interviewed on TV."

"I know it was someone, Ifalna. I'm not an accredited psychologist, but I've taken enough electives to at least have a hunch when I see an extreme reaction like that…"

"Your hunch is 100% correct," the younger woman sighed, "It was about three years ago...there was an intern. The kind of kid you see on TV, who lives in his mother's basement, has absolutely no success with women, probably got his head flushed in the toilet at school, and had few-to-no friends. It was the perfect storm…I could _feel_ him brimming with frustration…so I tried to talk to him to calm him down, and he threw a fit, accusing me of patronizing him. Then, he said he'd be conducting a 'different' exam on me…"

She trailed off, wrapping her arms around herself, the entire scene replaying itself in her mind:

He had torn her medical gown, but she had managed to squirm out of his grasp. He then proceeded to chase her around the exam room. She was able to wedge herself under an examination chair in the corner of the room where he couldn't reach her…at first. Eventually, he was able to grab her ankle and pull the screaming woman out.

"…In the end…" she finally managed to say, "All I remember was the ground shaking, the smell of burning hair, me biting down as hard as I could, and him screaming bloody murder. Two guards burst inside and arrested him. The earthquake suddenly stopped. From then on…the only people allowed to examine me were women, or Hojo himself. Guards were carefully screened as well, and for extra measure, I was put on birth control, in case the absolute worst still managed to happen. I guess it wasn't in Shinra's best interests for me to get pregnant while they had so many tests to conduct on me."

"Thank goodness for small favors…" Dr. Triton sighed as she pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to the young mother.

"I was always so scared after that…" Ifalna's voice was barely a whisper as she took the tissue and wiped not only her eyes, but her forehead, which was now slick with sweat. "But I had to be brave for the kids."

"Sephiroth never knew, I take it?"

Ifalna shook her head vehemently. "Of course not. He was ten at the time. He wouldn't even understand…" she trailed off and closed her eyes. "Thank Gaia he wasn't involved…in any incidents like that. Pushed too hard to train, yes. Not allowed to cry…yes. Told more half-truths than one can count…god, yes. But I would have been able to tell if he…no. That breaks a person, and Shinra can't have a broken super-soldier."

"There's always something to be thankful over…" Dr. Triton said softly, blinking back tears of her own.

"All the same," Ifalna said guiltily, "Tomorrow, I'd like to apologize to your colleague if he hasn't left for the moon on my account. There's no way he'd be anything like that intern…not if you're the one who chose him to fill in."

Dr. Triton smiled and nodded. "You're a saint, child. You'd be good for…" she stopped herself.

"Good for what?"

"Cosmo Canyon," the doctor covered with a big yawn, "You're going to fit in here just fine, especially once you start working for me."

"Huh?" Ifalna did a double-take.

"I've been trying to figure out the budget so I can make this work," said Dr. Triton, "And I meant to talk with you about this tomorrow, but I figure you could use some good news right now. Basically, you and I both have the ability to heal. Barnabas told me what you did for his leg cramp, and then there's Elfé. She'll be ready for surgery in a few days, but that's mostly thanks to you. Between identifying the problem, and being able to come in every day and keep her body stable with whatever it is you do…you have an ability that no ordinary doctor could ever hope to have.

"I've got nurses, and I've got a personal assistant. I don't know what I could call your position. The closest word I can think of is shaman. But I'll gladly pay you a good living if you agreed to come and work for me. Could you start three days from now?"

Ifalna lowered her head as her eyes began filling with tears once more.

"Thank you, Doctor…" she said softly, "…for everything you've done. Sephiroth might have been the one to get us out of the labs…but you're the one who gave us all a home."

"Girl, if you make me cry, so help me…!" Dr. Triton laughed shakily.

Ifalna smiled and shrugged, wiping her eyes again. "I'm a sentimental fool. You'll get used to me tugging on your heartstrings eventually."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow? We can discuss the details then, and I'll personally check you out, if that makes you feel better."

Ifalna nodded gladly. "Absolutely."

Dr. Triton turned and left, pulling her shawl closer to her as she braved Cosmo Canyon's chilly night air while she hurried back to her house.

* * *

"You really like your stuffed moogle, don't you?" Sephiroth asked amusedly the next day. The small stuffed toy he had bought earlier that week was the present he had promised her. Aerith was content to hold the stuffed moogle tightly everywhere she went.

Sephiroth noticed that Aerith truly seemed to treasure any presents she received. She still wore her father's sunglasses every time she went outside, along with the Grand Horn pendant that Sephiroth had brought her from Gongaga. Now, she rarely put down the moogle, even when it had been bath-time.

"His name is Kupo-Chan!" Aerith said happily as she made the toy "jump" up and down on her knee. "He wants to know when dinner time is, because he's hungry."

Sephiroth glanced at his watch. "Dinner will be soon. Why don't we head back to the inn right now and see what's waiting for us?"

"We're not eating at the inn today, remember?" Aerith reminded him, "Mama's starting her new job tomorrow, and we're going to that fancy restaurant to celebrate."

Of course. Sephiroth nodded.

"You're forgetting a lot of things since we started living here," Aerith remarked.

"I know," the boy sighed.

They made their way through the elaborate walkway in silence, holding hands. Sephiroth normally did not like touching people, or being touched. The only exceptions were during his hand-to-hand combat classes, which he had been taking with his fellow army recruits before the big escape. The other exception was sometimes Ifalna, but mostly Aerith. He didn't mind at all when the little girl always wanted to hold his hand, fling her arms around his waist in a hug, or would sometimes fall asleep with her head in his lap.

Sometimes, it seemed to him as if Aerith was the exception to every single rule.

"Hello, Sephiroth," Fuhito greeted them as they emerged near the Shildra Inn.

"Hey," Sephiroth said.

"Are you free right now?" Fuhito asked, "I wanted to ask you about something."

Sephiroth looked warily at the older boy. He then glanced down at Aerith.

"Tell her I'll be along in a minute."

"'Kay!" Aerith ran inside.

"I'm assuming you're joining us in the fight against Shinra?" Fuhito asked.

"Absolutely," Sephiroth said straight away.

"I'm glad to hear that," Fuhito told him, "It'll be interesting to have someone closer to my age involved with the resistance. Elfé is our only other young person aside from myself. I even wonder if she'll still go to meetings if she's unable to fight after her surgery."

"Hopefully she will, and we'll all be able to work well together," Sephiroth replied.

Fuhito nodded in agreement. "Imagine the poetic justice: Shinra's own talent used against them. I always thought such genius at that company was wasted."

"That's how I felt about Professor Gast," Sephiroth admitted.

"He was a legend," Fuhito agreed, "However, there's still talent over at the Shinra who would be a huge asset could they be convinced to fight for our cause."

"Like who?" Sephiroth asked, wondering if he meant certain members of the army, or the Turks.

"Why, Professor Hojo, of course," Fuhito replied smoothly.

In two seconds, Sephiroth had grabbed Fuhito by the collar of his shirt and had him pinned up against the side of the mountain. "Are you trying to be some kind of joker?!" he hissed savagely.

Fuhito blinked, only betraying mild surprise at Sephiroth's reaction. "Not at all. Just trying to be logical here. Most men can be persuaded with the right incentive. The ones who fight on our side all were. Professor Hojo could be swayed over to our side as well, I think."

"_Over my dead body!_" Sephiroth snarled in the older boy's face, "Let's get something clear right now: I personally don't care to hear about that man unless I'm reading his obituary. I would sooner see that man die a thousand violent deaths! If you're fighting against the Shinra, you'd better get your facts straight on who the good guys and bad guys are. I will _never_ fight alongside that walking mass of complexes. And if I ever hear any garbage like that coming from you again, I'll break your arms and legs. Got it?"

Fuhito never so much as flinched at Sephiroth's tirade. He regarded the younger boy calmly, and simply adjusted his glasses, while still pinned to the wall.

"My apologies," Fuhito said coolly.

Sephiroth glared at the young man for a moment, and then let go of him, storming off.

* * *

Dr. Triton often kept late hours, especially when she could look forward to a day off from work. Though she never could truly consider herself "off-duty" in her profession, she at least knew she wouldn't have to appear at the office. Tomorrow, her only obligation was meeting Ifalna to further discuss her checkup(it _had_ been an anomaly in the equipment, and Ifalna was in perfect health). After that, her day was her own.

It was just past midnight. She had just put a kettle on the stove to make some tea, which she would drink while curling up with a good book. Then she would probably turn in around one.

She jumped, startled when she heard a frantic pounding at the door. Then, she composed herself. Accustomed to emergencies, she took a deep breath, and went to answer, prepared to meet any medical crisis with a level head.

She opened the door, and was surprised to see Sephiroth standing in front of her, trembling violently, his reptilian eyes nearly bugging out in what could only be described as panic.

"I saw your light on…" he panted.

"Sephiroth, what is it?" Dr. Triton exclaimed.

"I'll do it!" Sephiroth said, his voice terrified and his words quick, "I'll go to the temple! Just find me someone who can get me there safely! I want to heal! I want to learn to protect myself, and Aerith, and everyone…but I can't if I wind up going insane!"

"All right," Dr. Triton said, making her voice sound as calm and neutral as she could manage, "That's fine. I'll tell you what. I'm going to give you a tranquilizer to help you calm down so you can go home, and back to sleep soon. Then tomorrow, I'll make the preparations. If all goes well, you can leave as early as the day after tomorrow. But please, try to relax. Can you tell me what happened that's got you so upset? Why aren't you asleep in bed?"

She went to the cupboard and instead of reaching for her usual tea ingredients, pulled down a box containing tea bags of tranquilizers. She hoped a drink would be potent enough for Sephiroth. Something told her that the last thing the boy needed was another needle.

"Every day since I agreed to go to Cosmo Canyon with you, I've been having these nightmares," Sephiroth confessed, no longer caring about trivial things like personal secrecy or his pride, "I'm standing in a field of flames, but I'm not burning. I don't burn. The people at the labs did things to me to make sure I healed quickly from gunshots, stabs, slices, burns…they made me nearly indestructible…but now…these dreams I'm having…I feel like _they're_ what's going to destroy me.

"I'm always holding this large black ball…like a materia, but it's bigger…almost the same size as…"

He recalled Ifalna's "useless" white materia, which was larger than standard-issue materia.

"Here…" the doctor held a cup to the boy, "Take this and drink it. You'll feel calmer. Your problems won't disappear, but you'll at least be able to sleep tonight. I'll give you another one tomorrow, and we'll let the monks take it from there once you arrive."

Sephiroth took the cup and desperately chugged the foul-tasting liquid until it was gone. "I can't seem to control my temper," he went on, "I'm always afraid I'm going to hurt someone."

He knew he already had. He could still see Ifalna's swollen face in his mind.

"They'll do what they can to help you," Dr. Triton reassured him.

"What are they going to be able to do for me?" Sephiroth asked as he handed her the empty cup.

"I'm assuming you never learned the art of meditation when you lived in Midgar?" the doctor asked.

"The Shinra pride themselves on science," Sephiroth answered mockingly, "Such voodoo is an insult to mankind's intelligence. That's what Hojo always said about things like meditation, chi, and magic."

"And yet, we use materia to cast spells and conjure up the elements," Dr. Triton said amusedly.

"According to the science department, magic is simply science that is yet to be explained," said the boy, "It's practically their motto."

"I agree that everything has an explanation," the woman said, "But when you already make up your mind ahead of time about what that explanation is…or isn't, then the answer is a lost cause. I meditate every night before bed and every morning before breakfast. I'd show you myself, but the Abbot is the one with the ability to almost reach inside your mind, and guide you."

"I don't think this person would want to see what's inside my mind," Sephiroth admitted hopelessly.

_Oh, you poor child…_Dr. Triton thought wearily. "I think that's his decision in the end. Let's take a walk back to the inn. A little exercise will get that medicine flowing, and you'll feel better. We'll discuss this together with Ifalna and Aerith tomorrow."

"Aerith will be sad," Sephiroth realized, "I know she'll cry when I tell her I'm leaving."

Dr. Triton smiled sadly. "You love that little girl so much, don't you?"

Reluctantly, Sephiroth nodded.

"I think she'll understand that you're doing this for her and her mother…as well as you."

Sephiroth stood up, ready to leave. "Thank you, Dr. Triton. For a doctor…you're all right."

The woman's eyes twinkled as the two of them headed for her door. "For someone who tried to carjack me in the middle of the wastelands, you're not so bad either…"

* * *

A/N: I feel as if this first part is dragging out a lot longer than I intended. However, the next chapter is going to be the last before the time-jump. Then we'll be in the Before Crisis/Crisis Core time period. The second story will take place in the original game time period.

Thoughts? You know where the review button is. ;)


	10. Chapter 9: A Time & Place To Heal

A/N: This is going to be a very long chapter. To be honest, however, I'm not sure if I should simply end the story here and then start a new one picking up twelve years later, or if I should just continue in the next chapter and have it be one thing. Let me know, whether in a review or PM. Thanks to my many readers. It's been a really fun month. :)

* * *

Chapter 9: A Time & Place To Heal

Ifalna closed her eyes and rested her head against her hand, as she leaned against the coffee table she sat in front of.

"You do what you feel is best for you," she said, forcing herself to keep an even tone, and not letting her voice betray the sadness she felt.

She sat on the sofa in their room at the Shildra Inn. Aerith sat next to her, while Sephiroth had stood in front of them and explained everything. Dr. Triton stood off to the side, having filled in the rest of the story by explaining what exactly would happen when the time came for Sephiroth to leave.

"I want to go with you!" Aerith said stubbornly.

"No," said Sephiroth, "You're better off here with your mother. She needs you. And besides, you'll get to make friends with all of the other children who live here. I'll still be able to stay hidden from the Shinra, and learn how to fight like the monks. I'll come out even stronger than I am now, inside and outside. I promise I'll write to you every week."

"You're already strong!" Aerith protested, "Who's going to protect me if some mean person tries to hit me?"

"This isn't the Shinra," Sephiroth argued, "No one's going to hit you here. If you want to protect yourself, well, I keep telling you: ask your mother to sign you up for the kids' grappling class that Barnabas teaches."

"He's right, sweetheart," said Ifalna as she rubbed her daughter's shoulder reassuringly, "People don't hit children like that out here. And I can certainly pay for you to take self-defense classes with the other kids-,"

"I don't _wanna_ wrestle!" Aerith shrieked. She then began to cry.

Sephiroth cringed. He knew Aerith far too well.

"Please don't cry, Aerith," he said, kneeling down next to the little girl, "I don't like to see you sad."

"Then don't _make_ me sad!" Aerith sobbed, "Stay here!"

"I can't," Sephiroth told her, "I'm sorry."

"MEANIE!" Aerith shouted as she stood up and ran over to her bed. She then dove under it, and continued to sob loudly from there.

Ifalna took a deep breath, and looked helplessly at Sephiroth.

"We still have some things to discuss regarding your first day on the job tomorrow," Dr. Triton reminded Ifalna.

Ifalna balked. "_Now?_ Can't this wait?"

"I think the children need some time alone," Dr. Triton said, "Trust me…"

"I…" Ifalna glanced at the two small feet sticking out from under the bed. "Okay. Aerith, I'll be back in a little while…I know you're mad at Sephiroth, but you mind him while I'm gone, okay?"

There was no response. Ifalna rolled her eyes.

"_Okay?_" she said pointedly.

"…Yes…" Aerith sulked.

"We'll be downstairs in the lobby," Ifalna said as she and the doctor headed out the door.

"Aerith…" Sephiroth said as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Go away!"

"No, I won't go away," Sephiroth said, his frustration level rising.

"We were supposed to be a family!" Aerith shouted angrily, "You're supposed to be my big brother!"

"Don't you think I'd love that?" Sephiroth argued, "Because that would mean the world to me! But I can't just ignore the fact that I'm not doing well. I have to leave…or else, I'm afraid I might hurt somebody. You said it yourself the other day: I'm a frightening person just when I spar. When I fight for real, I'm a lot worse. Aerith…I hurt a lot of people when we escaped from Midgar. I'm just…really afraid that I'll hurt somebody here…somebody who doesn't deserve to get hurt. Do you know why that is?"

There was silence for a moment.

"…Why?" Aerith finally asked.

"Because _I_ was hurt," Sephiroth answered, "I had people hurting me, just to see how fast I could heal from my injuries. I had people scaring me within an inch of my life, just to see how quickly I could protect myself. And do you know what the worst part of that is? That it happened to me when I was your age. When you have to deal with that for years upon years, you start to get angry. And your mind begins to travel to some dark places. You start to think about how much fun it would be to hurt others…the same way you've been hurt yourself. I haven't completely lost myself yet…so I still know that it's wrong to think that way. Dr. Triton thinks that if I go to live at the Gaian temple in Mideel, that the monks who live there can teach me how to make myself better."

Aerith's feet disappeared under the bed. Sephiroth could hear her turn around, and her hands appeared instead.

"How long will it take?" Aerith's voice seemed to be slightly calmer now.

"I don't know," Sephiroth answered sadly.

"Long enough to forget about me?" Aerith asked as her head peaked out, and red-rimmed green eyes stared up at him.

Sephiroth looked down at her. He smiled and knelt down in front of her. "How could you ever think that?" he asked as he gently took one of her hands, "I could never forget about you, or your mother. I could never forget about this place, even though I've only been living here a few weeks. It's the bad things I want to forget."

"Will you write me letters, like you did when you went to Gongaga?" she asked softly, wiping her eyes.

"Yes," he answered with a reassuring smile, "I'll tell you all about the temple. Eventually, you'll start school, and you'll be able to write me back, and tell me what it's like going there. You're lucky, you know. I never got to go to a real school, and I probably never will."

"I'll start practicing writing my ABC's again," Aerith promised him, "And when I learn to read, I'll already know how to write. Mama says that she'll help me with my schoolwork when I start going, so she'll probably help me write my letters too."

"That's fine," Sephiroth said, still smiling and holding Aerith's hand, "And I'm not leaving for a couple days yet. So let's make a deal, okay? Let's not be sad right now, because I'm not gone yet. We'll still have fun together while I'm still here. I'll still be here long enough to finish reading you that new book Barnabas gave you the other day. And why don't we go to the Ice Palace right now? I've still got some money. We'll order something that makes our tongues change color, all right?"

Aerith nodded excitedly. Sephiroth helped her out from under the bed. Together they stood up, and left the room.

* * *

Elfé squinted as she opened her eyes, only for the morning sun to be shining directly in them. Quickly, she slid out of her hospital bed and pulled the blinds down.

"Good morning," Ifalna said brightly as she walked into the girl's room. "How are you feeling today?"

"I don't know," the preteen answered as she sat on the bed and slid back underneath the sheets, "Dr. Triton says my operation is in two days."

Ifalna nodded solemnly. "Are you scared?" she asked as she sat down next to the girl.

"Something tells me I'll be okay after it's all over," said Elfé, "But…all the same…I just don't know what's going to happen afterward. I know I won't be the amazing fighter Master Terrato was training me to be. I…just hope I'm not a burden now."

"What would make you say something like that?" Ifalna asked as she laid a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "He'll be happy enough that you won't be having these attacks anymore, and that you'll live a long, healthy life."

"I can see the hope in his eyes when he and the other resistance fighters train me," said Elfé, "He even has me training the younger students in his class. Without my fighting prowess…what am I?"

"A young girl with her entire life ahead of her," Ifalna answered with a smile.

"Is it true that you don't remember your past either?" Elfé suddenly asked.

"It is," the Cetra answered, "I only remember the past seven years or so."

"If you weren't able to cure your own amnesia, then I suppose you can't cure mine," Elfé sighed, looking out the window with a look of frustration.

"Don't give up hope," Ifalna said encouragingly, "They say anything can trigger a memory."

"Do you remember anything?" Elfé asked.

"The word 'sparks'," Ifalna answered, "I hear a young man say 'beautiful sparks'. I can't understand the context. Then there's the word 'geomancer'. You know, when I lived in Icicle Inn, I started growing my own food. Potatoes, tomatoes, the kind of stuff you can grow in a basement. But I had this urge to do so much more. Then when I saw the Geomancer's Grotto with the natural fountain and the pristinely carved stone, I thought- maybe one day I can try something like that…to shape nature like that."

Elfé shook her head. "No one could do that…oh, but then…I heard that you're the last of..."

"To my knowledge," said Ifalna, "I'm the last living Ancient, or Cetra. I prefer Cetra. I may not know exactly how old I am, but I know I'm young enough that the word 'ancient' isn't a fun way to be described." She let out a chuckle at that. "Well, anyway, that's all I remember. What about you?"

"Being picked up and tossed in the air," Elfé answered thoughtfully, "A man smiling at me as I land back in his arms. Master Terrato thinks it could be my father. I really wish I could remember more, but…"

She then looked nervously at her afflicted hand.

"What's wrong?" Ifalna peered at the girl, concerned.

"Fuhito thinks maybe I'm best off not knowing, given the state I was in when he found me," Elfé answered, "That's part of what I don't remember. All I remember, aside from what I just told you, starts with waking up in Cosmo Canyon, in Master Terrato's…my house."

Ifalna frowned, not happy with the fact that Fuhito seemed to be a regular acquaintance of the girl. Why did Terrato allow his ward to socialize with someone as slippery as that boy?

"Barnabas told me of his sparring match with Sephiroth," Elfé recalled, "I suppose he'll be the new prodigy of the resistance…'Avalanche', as they're starting to call it."

Ifalna suddenly looked sad.

"Sephiroth is leaving for Mideel in a couple of days," she explained to Elfé, "And personally, I think you're both too young to be involved in something so heavy as a group of rebels. You have years before you can decide what you want to do."

"He's leaving?" Elfé looked disappointed. "Then can you do me a favor? Can you get him to come see me before he leaves? I never got to thank him for bringing me here so quickly. I can still scarcely believe what happened that day."

Ifalna smiled at the girl. "I'll ask him."

"Thank you," said Elfé.

* * *

"Ifalna will have my skin if she finds out what we're doing," Sephiroth warned Elfé as he carried the girl piggy-back across the rocky path that lead to Barnabas' training spot.

Earlier in the day, Ifalna had brought Sephiroth to see the sick girl. When she had stepped out for just a moment, Elfé announced what she wanted to do. She wanted to have one last sparring session with someone her age who could put up a good fight, before her surgery. Sephiroth had agreed, since he had been curious about the girl with the mysterious powers of strength, speed and stamina. If she really _was_ going to lose all of that after the surgery, then he decided he might as well help fulfill her last request.

They made plans to sneak her out next evening, when Nurse Sheila would be working and everyone else would be asleep. The woman in question was more interested in her books than she was in doing her job properly(namely keeping an eye on the patients). Elfé had already had success in sneaking around her when she wanted a bit of fresh air late at night, or an extra helping of ice cream from the freezer in the staff lounge.

"We're almost there," Elfé remarked.

"Good!" Aerith piped in, "I'm getting tired."

"I knew that would happen when you decided to come with me rather than stay in bed," Sephiroth chuckled as he set Elfé down on the platform, "But, I promised to spend my time with you until it was time for me to leave. And I suppose we can't have a proper sparring match without my favorite referee."

"But we're asking this little girl to lie to her mother," Elfé said disapprovingly as she took a few steps back, unsheathed her sword and swung it a few times.

"Silly!" Aerith giggled, "If my mother _asks_ me if Seph and I snuck you out to have a sword-fight, then I'll say yes. If she doesn't, then do I really have to say anything?"

Sephiroth smiled and shook his head. Five years old and already lying by omission? She would be quite the challenge for Ifalna once she got older. At least this made things easier right now.

"You were a lot less eager to sneak out here when I wanted to watch Barnabas train," Sephiroth recalled.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people," Aerith admonished him, "This is different. You're helping someone."

"The adults won't see it that way," Sephiroth pointed out.

"Even the grown-ups outside of Midgar are silly," said Aerith, "Mama did a good job taking care of Elfé. She has the Lifestream holding her. Nothing bad is going to happen from a few minutes of playing. People worry too much!"

Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

"Ready?" Aerith asked loudly.

Elfé assumed a fighting stance. Sephiroth summoned Masamune and did the same.

"Hajime!" Aerith shouted as she swung her hand down.

* * *

_"Where are you?" Ifalna asked as she searched through the bright green tendrils that made up the Lifestream, "Faremis, I can sense you here! Please show yourself!"_

_"Hello, Ifalna."_

_She spun around and saw him standing in front of her. He looked the same as the last time they had met, as the dead never changed._

_"You've been healing," Gast remarked, "in many senses of the word."_

_"Have you been watching?" Ifalna asked warily._

_Gast nodded. "I'm so sorry about what you had to go through…"_

_"Don't," Ifalna quickly cut in. "I've decided I'm not going to let it affect the rest of my life."_

_"I'm glad. The time will come when you meet someone else…if you haven't already."  
_

_Ifalna shook her head. "I think it's a little soon to talk about that."_

_"Is it? I know fate ripped us apart when we were really only just starting out, but what's done is done. The vows were 'till death do us part', and I'm unfortunately, quite dead."_

_Ifalna nodded silently, a pained expression on her face. __"We were so happy together…" she whispered._

_"We'll both be happy again," her late husband reassured her, "You'll find someone, and as for me…it's time."_

_"Time?" Ifalna looked confused._

_"I've spent the past five years resisting the Lifestream," Gast explained, "just so I could make sure you and Aerith were all right. Only this past month have I been able to see that you are indeed doing well. I'm happy to know that the two of you will be fine, and I think that holds true no matter what happens. You'll move on…and so will I. I can't ignore the call of the planet anymore, Ifalna."_

_"I'll never see you again?!" Ifalna realized, horrified._

_HUSH..._

_A warm, soothing sensation filled Ifalna from head to toe. She recognized the booming yet gentle voice that she heard only a few times, when things became too much for her._

_"Planet…" she whispered._

_LIFE IS FLEETING…LOVE IS FOREVER…YOU WILL NEVER FORGET..._

_"But I _have_ forgotten," Ifalna laughed bitterly, "That's part of my problem."_

_THE KEY TO THAT WILL COME IN TIME. FOR NOW, YOU MUST HEAL. JUST AS THE CALAMITY'S CHILD HEALS, SO WILL YOU._

_"Listen to your friend," Gast chuckled, "I think it knows what it's talking about."_

_"The planet is right about one thing," said Ifalna as she approached her husband and slid her arms around him, "I'll never _ever_ forget you."_

_"Not so long as our daughter keeps wearing those sunglasses of mine, you won't," Gast said with a grin._

_Ifalna felt a tear trickle down her cheek._

_"Goodbye, Ifalna…" Gast whispered, "You truly were my salvation."_

_"I got you killed," Ifalna sighed._

_"Better to live a short, honest life, than a long life of sin," Gast pointed out, "which I would have done had not not been for you."  
_

_Ifalna stepped back as she felt him start to fade away. Professor Faremis Gast smiled one last time and blew his wife a kiss before he disappeared completely._

_Before Ifalna's heart could break, she felt herself enveloped by the planet's warmth once more. She smiled, fading from the Lifestream before settling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep._

* * *

"That was probably the best match I've ever had," Sephiroth panted as he stood above Elfé. Despite Aerith's assurances that Elfé would be fine, Sephiroth had discarded his normal victory stance of one foot on his opponent's chest for a modified pose. He still didn't want to go too far, and simply had each foot planted next to either side of her body.

Perhaps that was a sign of hope, if he wasn't going too far?

Elfé lay panting, staring up at him with both amazement and admiration in her eyes.

"You could still be a good swordswoman," Sephiroth told her as he stepped back and helped her up, "For only a year-and-a-half's worth of training, you've got good technique. You only lost against me because I've been training a lot longer." He smirked. "Otherwise, you _might_ be the one carrying _me_ back to the hospital."

"Wow…" Aerith whispered. She walked up to Elfé. "You're really, really good!"

Elfé managed a tiny smile. "Thank you. I gave it the best I could for my last fight."

"Last fight?" Aerith repeated, frowning.

"After the materia embedded in my hand is removed tomorrow, I'll no longer have the strength and speed that I fought with just now," Elfé explained to the little girl.

Aerith scowled. "So you were cheating just now?"

Elfé stopped short and stared at the child. "I beg your pardon?"

"If the materia was what was making you so strong, then that's cheating!" Aerith explained matter-of-factly. "That means that once the operation is over, and you get better, you can start practicing for real!"

"I…" Elfé glanced at Sephiroth, and then back at Aerith, "I never thought of it that way."

"How old are you?" Sephiroth asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Elfé said as she scratched the back of her head, "I figure I'm about ten or so."

"Plenty of people are older when they start training with the sword," said Sephiroth, "The standard Shinra army recruit is eighteen right now…though when I left, they were planning to lower the age of acceptance to fourteen. Still, though, a lot of recruits pick up a sword for the very first time in their lives while in basic training. Kids like you and I have a considerable head-start."

"What about me?" Aerith asked.

"What _about_ you?" Sephiroth replied.

"I wanna be strong too!" Aerith said, "I've decided. I still don't wanna use a sword, because I don't wanna cut people…but Uncle Barnabas says there's other weapons out there that don't cut. You just bonk people on the head with them, or knock them down."

"Escrima?" Elfé suggested to Sephiroth.

"Hmm…maybe," Sephiroth mused, "A hammer might be a bit too heavy for someone of Aerith's size…I say a good old-fashioned staff might work."

"You're probably right," Elfé agreed.

"You really should learn hand-to-hand," Sephiroth said to Aerith, "I keep telling you that ANSMA would be a good place for you to study."

"ANSMA?" Aerith repeated, not understanding.

"The Academy of Non-Striking Martial Arts," Sephiroth reminded her, "The school that Master Terrato runs."

"Once I recover," Elfé said, "I hope to still be able to train there."

"So I'd see you there if I took wrestling lessons?" Aerith asked.

"It's more than just wrestling, but yes," Elfé answered, "I'd be there."

"Okay, I'll do it," said Aerith.

Sephiroth chuckled. Deciding to take lessons just because another kid was doing it. He had spent weeks trying to convince her using logical reasons, to no avail. What a whimsical child.

* * *

"Here," Ifalna handed Sephiroth a paper bag, "It's a tuna fish sandwich and a pear, in case you get hungry."

He stood at the bus depot the next morning, his bags packed and sitting next to him. Ifalna, Aerith, and Barnabas stood in front of him. The mood was certainly somber.

Dr. Triton was operating on Elfé that very moment. She had said her goodbyes to Sephiroth an hour ago.

Sephiroth looked at Ifalna. "Tell Elfé goodbye for me. I look forward to hearing about her progress. Tell Dr. Triton I'll miss her sea-salt ice cream."

"Ah, Seph…" Barnabas laughed, "Only you could fall in love with the Dragon Lady's freezer-burned popsicles. There's a creamery in East Mideel that makes the Ice Palace look lame by comparison."

Sephiroth chuckled as he went over to Barnabas and shook his hand. He then leaned in closely.

"Look after them while I'm gone," Sephiroth whispered to the fighter, "You're a good swordsman, even if I did beat you at sparring. But I beat everyone."

"Sure thing, you cocky little punk," Barnabas said good-naturedly.

Just then, Aerith pounced on Sephiroth, clinging to his waist.

"Bye, Seph…" she said, her voice breaking.

Suddenly, Sephiroth lifted the little girl into the air and her closely to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Don't forget about me…" he whispered, immediately wondering why he had said that.

"Never!" Aerith promised.

Sephiroth couldn't help but smile as he set her down. Then, he placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned forward, planting a small kiss in the middle of her forehead.

Ifalna started to choke up. Never before had she seen Sephiroth kiss anyone. Barnabas quickly put his hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him, slightly surprised by the gesture, but allowed his hand to remain there.

"Mama, you told _me_ not to cry and now _you're_ doing it!" Aerith accused her mother.

"Sorry…" Ifalna laughed, "I'll try harder, okay?"

Sephiroth went over to Ifalna and hugged her, closing his eyes.

"You're going to be okay," Ifalna whispered, "I'm so proud of you…and I know you'll keep making me proud."

"I never had a mother…" Sephiroth began, but found himself unable to say anything else.

"I know…" Ifalna said. He didn't need to say anything else. Just that alone said it all. He was just as much the son she never had as she was the mother he never had. "And you're welcome back here anytime. Hopefully we'll have an actual home for you to visit by then."

Sephiroth nodded silently as he then turned around and walked toward the waiting shuttle bus. All of the other people boarding had already said goodbye to their respective friends and loved ones, and had gotten on. He quickly boarded the bus, sitting in an empty seat in the back by the window. A pained expression crossed his face as he placed both of his hands on the window. The door closed with a loud hissing noise, making him jump. His eyes never left Aerith and Ifalna as the bus slowly pulled away.

Only when they were finally out of sight did several tears manage to make their way down his face.

* * *

"Aerith?"

The five-year-old glanced at her mother from next to the window where she sat. It had been several hours since Sephiroth had left. She had followed Ifalna to her job at the hospital, where Aerith stayed in a playroom with two other children around her age, whose parents also worked in the hospital. All of the staff had complimented Ifalna on having such an adorable and well-behaved daughter, but Ifalna figured that Aerith's subdued behavior was more out of depression than obedience.

Ifalna smiled at her. "Why aren't you coloring? Don't you usually like to get your crayons out after dinner?"

"Not tonight," Aerith sighed. She resumed staring outside, watching the sun setting in the distance.

Ifalna held out her arms. "Come here, sweetie."

Aerith got up from her seat and walked over to the couch where her mother sat. Ifalna pulled the little girl into her lap and held her close.

"Sephiroth has been through a lot in his life," she explained gently, "He's hurting inside. He needs spiritual healing, which the monks can help him with. They'll be looking after him. It took years for him to become the way he is…it'll probably take years to make him better."

"There's nothing wrong with him!" Aerith insisted stubbornly.

"You know that's not true…" Ifalna said sadly, "You feel it just like I do."

"You said Sephiroth was family!" Aerith cried, "Families aren't supposed to get split up!"

"But they do sometimes…" Ifalna said softly, "That's why Elfé lives with Master Terrato, instead of with her parents. It's why I'm here with you, while your father was absorbed into the Lifestream."

"I don't like it," Aerith said as she lay down and put her head in her mother's lap, "It's too sad!"

Ifalna looked pained. "I know it is. But-!" she then smiled, "-we've got a lot of new things happening to us now. And we're not going to have much time to sit around feeling sad. You're going to be starting school in the fall. I have my new job, and eventually, we won't be living at the inn anymore. You'll be making new friends, and you know Sephiroth will write to us. Now that you'll be in school, you'll learn how to write back."

Aerith scrubbed at her eyes and said nothing.

"I'll miss him too," said Ifalna, "You know he'll come and visit us, right? And maybe we can go to Mideel and visit him as well."

"Okay," Aerith mumbled, her face buried in her mother's knee.

"Ohh…don't be sad, little one," Ifalna whispered soothingly as she stroked her daughter's hair, "You'll be okay…the both of you will be okay…"

* * *

"Good morning, milady," Barnabas said playfully as Ifalna walked into the lobby the next morning. The handyman/fighter stood on a ladder putting a new light-bulb into an overhead lamp.

"Hello," Ifalna greeted him with a smile. "Say, how many grapplers _does_ it take to change a light-bulb?"

"Oh-_ho!_ I like that!" Barnabas chuckled as he climbed down the ladder.

"Is there anywhere I _won't_ run into you?" Ifalna teased.

"The men's room, I'm guessing," Barnabas joked, "Unless you're some kinda peeper and you're not telling me…?"

"You-!" Ifalna turned red, but bit her lip to keep from laughing all the same. Barnabas simply grinned back at her.

"How's Aerith?" he asked.

Ifalna's expression sobered.

"Still a little sad," she sighed, "But she did seem excited when I told her I'd start teaching her how to write the alphabet. And she's happy that she'll be starting school soon. She wants to learn to read as soon as possible, so she can write to Sephiroth herself."

Barnabas nodded. "And you?"

Ifalna smiled. "Aside from missing Sephiroth, what can I say? In just a few weeks, my life has completely turned around. And honestly…I have faith that things will turn out all right for Sephiroth as well…and that makes me happier than I've been…in a very long time."

Barnabas nodded. "That means a lot to me," he said. "Ever since the three of you came here, life's been just a bit more interesting."

"Sephiroth's not the only one dealing with nightmares," Ifalna confessed, "I'll have this one dream that's always the same: I'm too sick to go on…or I've been shot. There I am…on the floor…for some reason I always hear a train whistling. All I can do is call out to anyone who can hear…or will listen…I beg them to take Aerith somewhere safe…then I wake up."

"Just a dream," Barnabas reassured her.

Ifalna nodded uneasily. "Yes, I know. Maybe it's just that I'm not used to having things turn out as wonderfully as they have lately. I keep doubting my luck."

"Yeah, well, you know, sometimes things actually _stay_ good," the athletic man pointed out, "So just keep planning for the future. Speaking of which, what _have _you planned? You've got yourself a nice little job courtesy of my aunt. What happens next?"

"There's a nice little two-bedroom apartment I was checking out," said Ifalna, "Tomorrow I plan to get the ball rolling on signing a lease."

"Any plans for a housewarming party?" Barnabas asked hopefully.

"You and Dr. Triton are certainly invited for dinner," Ifalna happily informed him. "All of the fire-cats can hopefully come over as well, along with Master Terrato and Elfé. Hopefully she'll be better by then. I also hoped I could steal Elder Bugenhagen away from his observatory for the evening. I think the place will fit us all."

"I'm looking forward to it," Barnabas said happily.

Ifalna nodded. "Now in the meantime, I'll wait for word from Sephiroth. I hope he gets to the temple all right. That, and I hope he's able to settle in…"

* * *

The bus had arrived at yet another non-Shinra port after a day's worth of traveling. The ship Sephiroth then boarded was faster than the one that had taken him to the western continent. It had only taken three days to cross the seas, passing underneath both the western and eastern continents, finally arriving on the west coast of Mideel.

An old friend of Dr. Triton's had met Sephiroth at the port, and driven him to the large stone fortress-like building. The grand abbot himself was waiting outside. Introductions were made, and Sephiroth followed the old man into his office. After telling his story to both both Dr. Triton and Ifalna, he had become used to explaining himself. It had ended up being slightly easier to tell the grand abbot exactly why he had come, despite the fact that he was talking to a complete stranger. However, Dr. Triton had nothing but praise for the grand abbot, and had encouraged him to trust the old man.

It was already dinnertime when their meeting had ended. Sephiroth was given a set of initiate robes, and matched up with an advisor: a senior initiate who already knew the ropes of life at the temple. The two of them ate dinner together, Sephiroth only speaking when spoken to. He knew the grand abbot was important to his progress, but the young man he sat in front of at the small table in the mess hall…well, he probably wasn't a bad guy, but Sephiroth knew he would never be the outgoing type. His advisor had better learn to deal with that.

"I'm sure the grand abbot told you he'd be working with you this week to identify the root of your problems," said the advisor as they ate.

Sephiroth nodded, rolling the sleeves on the grey robes he now wore. The last thing he wanted was to get food on them.

"I was a mess when I first arrived and started working with him," the advisor told him, "I'd had a nervous breakdown due to parental pressure to attend Shinra University. I'd graduated high school when I was fifteen, and had every choice available for college. Frankly, I wanted to go to Ragnarok University, but my folks are both brainwashed by the Shinra. Dad's an architect who designed the president's summer home, and my mom is part of their huge legal team. I'd heard about the temple when I spoke to a Ragnarok alumna who had trained here under one of the less intensive programs. She visited me in the psych ward when I was recovering, told me the details, and well, here I am, three years later."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. So the Shinra had hurt another young man's psyche? Perhaps he and this young man did have something in common with after all.

"I hate the Shinra," he said angrily.

The senior initiate grinned. "Well, I did too, but hate doesn't exactly make the world go around, no matter how much it seems to be true. See…I've forgiven my parents…even though they still haven't forgiven me for leaving."

"Forgiveness isn't something I see in my cards," Sephiroth stated, his voice cold as ice.

"Well, one step at a time," the young man said reassuringly, "First, the grand abbot will work to identify the dark thoughts that are bringing your head into such a bad place. Then…well, that's up to you. The temple gives you the tools, but you're the one who chooses what to do with them..."

* * *

The housewarming dinner had been enjoyable for all involved. Everyone that Ifalna had invited had shown up, even Bugenhagen on his floating green sphere. Dr. Triton and Barnabas had cooked and brought dinner over, while Shuroya, Kimu, and Terrato had contributed their funds to buy the nice dinner table the group now sat at, complete with chairs. Shuroya, Kimu, Nanaki and Deneh ate off the floor, which Ifalna had apologized for more than once. She promised to get a coffee table for the four of them to eat off of as soon as possible. The feline beasts simply shrugged it off, claiming they were used to eating off the floor.

"It doesn't make us true animals," Kimu had laughed.

Aerith, Elfé, Nanaki and Deneh had amused themselves in Aerith's currently empty bedroom(save for a cot). The two younger fire-cats told stories while Aerith and Elfé listened attentively.

Everybody that came had commented on Elfé's speedy recovery, and had toasted Ifalna, thankful to her again for having discovered the cause of Elfé's sickness. The Cetra had blushed furiously and endured everyone's sincere praise.

Finally, Aerith began to nod off, signaling to everyone that it was likely time to go home. Goodbyes were said, thank-you's were exchanged, and finally Ifalna was able to put Aerith to bed.

Just as she was about to sit in her room and read, there was a knock at the door. Figuring that someone might have forgotten something, she went to answer.

"Oh, Barnabas!" she said with a smile as the rugged man stood in her doorway, "Did you leave something here?"

Barnabas glanced at his feet, and then at her face.

"I'd hoped to get a moment alone to talk to you," he said, "But I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that everyone likes you so much, and as a result they keep taking up your time. I thought maybe I'd just talk to you tomorrow, but I don't wanna wait that long."

"Do you want to come inside?" Ifalna asked, sensing that Barnabas was serious about whatever it was he wanted to talk about.

Barnabas nodded as he stepped inside. Ifalna closed the door.

"I'm just gonna come right out and ask you," Barnabas said to her: "How do you feel about me?"

Ifalna looked away. With all the smiles, jokes and pleasantries exchanged, and the meals they had shared over the past month, she had half-expected this conversation to occur. Still, she was surprised, as she had thought it wouldn't be for yet a while longer.

She turned around, a troubled look now clouding her face.

"You can't possibly tell me this is a one-sided thing…" Barnabas pressed, stepping closer to her.

"No…" Ifalna admitted, "It's not. You've been so kind to me…and to Aerith and Sephiroth."

Barnabas put his arms around Ifalna, resting his cheek against her head.

"It's been such a long time…" Ifalna whispered, "…since I ever thought about the possibility of…" she trailed off. Love and (consensual)sex were things she had made herself forget when she had lost her freedom. But now the potential for it all was standing right next to her, and a lot to handle. The thought if it was nothing compared to the burning feeling inside that she hadn't felt in over five years, as she felt Barnabas' shoulders pressing against the back of hers.

"You still think about Aerith's father, don't you?" he said quietly.

"He understands," said Ifalna, "Last week…he finally said goodbye to me. He's one with The Planet now."

"I still can't get over it…" Barnabas marveled softly, "The last known Cetra."

"A gift and a curse for as long as I can remember," Ifalna sighed, "The Planet forgive me…"

"You're hardly a curse…" Barnabas murmured softly in her ear. He then softly kissed her cheek. "The truth of the matter is, I'm falling hard for you, and fast. I've also grown quite attached to that little girl of yours.

"I admit…" Ifalna said slowly, looking straight ahead, "…I've grown fond of you as well."

"It's your call…" He kissed her cheek again.

"It's all happening so quickly…" Ifalna said as she closed her eyes, finding the feel of his stubble brushing against her oddly pleasant, despite her heart pounding due to nerves.

Sensing that he might be pressuring her, Barnabas let go and stepped back.

"I'm a patient man," he reassured her, lifting his hands up slightly as if in surrender, "If you want, we can do it like this: tomorrow, I take you out for lunch during your break. Then I walk you home after work. Little things. We'll see where it goes from there?"

"I'd like that," Ifalna answered sincerely, relieved that he didn't expect to wind up in her bed right away. Still, she found herself wondering how something like _that_ would work around Aerith.

Barnabas lifted his hand to Ifalna's face, softly caressing it. "You got it," he whispered, "I don't mind slow and steady." He turned around and headed for the door, opening it and casting one last smile in Ifalna's direction before he left.

Ifalna's hand rose up, absently touching the part of her face where his fingers had been. She sat down on the empty living room floor, gazing at the stars through her window. She stayed there for a good half-hour before she rose, and then went to get ready for bed.

* * *

_June, 1990_

_Dear Sephiroth,_

_ Elfé has made a full recovery, and seems almost as if she's coming out of a fog. Her personality is more vibrant than the foggy young girl we all first met. __Personally, I feel nothing but dread when I touch that strange object that was taken out of her, but Bugenhagen took a keen interest in it. Thus, off it went to his observatory with all of his other planetary knick-knacks. Contrary to what I'd thought before, it's actually a _piece_ of a large materia, the likes of which I've never seen before…at least not that I can remember._

___Fuhito was caught trying to steal that same materia piece from Bugenhagen's place. I don't know what kind of ideas were going through that boy's head, but I'm glad he didn't get his hands on it. Bugenhagen didn't want to press charges, but _Dr. Triton fired the boy, and he suddenly left town two days ago. I'm glad that we kept your location a secret, especially when you told me what he said about Hojo. True, he doesn't know the extent of Hojo's dirty secrets, but anyone can see that the "walking mass of complexes" as you cleverly put it, is insane. Why anyone would admire a monster like him is beyond me. I'm glad that boy is gone, but part of me worries what he'll do next.

_ I knew saving the money we made from selling that stolen Shinra gear would pay off! I was able to put in a deposit for a month-to-month lease on a two-bedroom apartment for myself and Aerith. You'll see the pictures of it enclosed inside. It's hard for now, since the place is un-furnished. Aerith and I have been sleeping on cots for the time being. Dr. Triton offered me extra work following her around on her rounds on the outskirts of town. I figure in about two weeks, Aerith and I will finally have nice beds to sleep on. Right now, we have a dining room table and chairs, courtesy of Master Terrato, Shuroya and Kimu. The living room, alas, is empty for now._

_ What are your lodgings like? I imagine they can't be much more basic than ours are right now. I hope you're settling in nicely. We both miss you._

_Love,_

_Ifalna & Aerith_

* * *

_Dear Ifalna & Aerith,_

_ Cots aren't so bad once you get used to them, but I suppose you don't plan to give them a chance. Haha(see? I'm laughing!)_

_ They certainly don't give you the chance to lay around and feel sorry for yourself. I'm busy every waking hour of the day with chores, meditation, martial arts, more meditation, and for initiates like myself, one-on-one time with our advisors._

_ The grand abbot assigned me my own advisor, who, along with the abbot, works with me to help reach inside my mind and see what's eating away at me. I won't lie, they're worried about me, just as you and Dr. Triton were. It's hard. I can't explain right now. But I won't let my demons win. If Jenova is truly responsible for the fragile state of my mind, then I'm really going to have my work cut out for me. I'm just glad that you had the courtesy to tell me about that monster all those years ago. The Shinra would have been all too happy to keep that from me. Can you imagine what could have happened if I ended up finding out about that years from now, as an adult?_

_One more thing: they asked me what my last name was. I decided to use my mother's name. You can see that on the return address. I wrote S. Crescent(I abbreviated my first name just in case Shinra has eyes in the postal system)._

_-Sephiroth_

* * *

_ Dear Sephiroth,_

_ At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you know what I always tell you: don't ever give up. You're not Jenova. You're Sephiroth: a unique and very special person, who I owe my life and sanity to. I know you'll get through this. Aerith and I will pray for you every day._

_ I wish there was more to write, aside from the fact that we did finally get our beds, delivered from Rocket Town. They say that furniture built using lumber from there is built to last. Hopefully my back will stop hurting now._

_You make a good point about Shinra watching the mail. Hence why the return address in this letter simply has my initials: I.G. Aerith and I both think that 'Sephiroth Crescent' sounds very distinguished._

_ Keep working hard. You're doing so well. _

_Love,_

_Ifalna & Aerith _

* * *

_September, 1990_

_Dear Ifalna & Aerith,_

_I didn't say anything in my previous letters, because I wanted to be sure it wasn't just wishful thinking. For the past two months, I've been spending my free time with two guys my age from Banora. I met them when I was on a field trip with the other initiates. There was an arms tournament, and there happened to be a youth division. I had no interest in entering at the time, so I simply watched from the concessions stand. Have you ever had soft pretzels? The variety of toppings you can put on them are a force to be reckoned with, putting sea-salt ice cream to shame(don't tell Dr. Triton I said that)._

_ The contest was a farce, both the youth and adult versions, UNTIL, a boy my age with red hair entered the ring. He turned the contest into a joke, the way he could move with a sword. I instantly changed my mind and wanted to enter, but registration was closed, much to my complete disappointment._

_ After he swept the next two matches, another competitor around my age stepped in. Well-built fellow, with black hair. Not as cocky-looking as the red-head, but just as skilled, and he made a mockery of his opponents…so to speak. He wasn't showing off the way the other one was._

_ Inevitably, they fought their way to the last match, where they squared off for a good ten minutes. Finally, the black-haired one was declared the winner by the judges- split decision, which basically means it was a very close match._

_ I couldn't help myself. Afterwards, I found them, summoned Masamune, and I challenged them each. You should have seen the looks on their faces. I think they had been used to being second-to-none for a very long time._

_ I fought the red-head(his name is Genesis) first. In short, a draw. I fought the other one(his name is Angeal) right after. Another draw. Never has that happened. Even Barnabas lost to me, despite his incredible sword skills. But two boys my own age managed to tie against me. A tie. This means that if I were to fight them both, I would lose. But rather than feel threatened, I'm excited by all of this._

_ I'm so glad the Shinra don't concern themselves with this area. They would never stop harassing those two to join their army. I'll admit- they would make good soldiers. However, I think I see Genesis growing up to be a poet…or an inventor. He reads poetry, and he's a bit of a local celebrity for creating their famous "Banora White apple juice"._

_ Angeal…he's the kind of person you can have a serious conversation with. I think you both would enjoy meeting him. I've never met a guy who enjoyed gardening, but that happens to be one of his hobbies. I'm sure he'd love to pick your brain for gardening tips, Ifalna. He grows some pretty good tomatoes, and turns them into the best sauce I've ever had the pleasure of putting on a plate of pasta(no more low-carb diets for me)._

_ Every week since I've met them, we "hang out", as they put it. We explore the wilderness, kill monsters and sell their hides for gil. Angeal and I help Genesis cart crates full of cans containing his juice. I had the idea of marketing the drink to Mideel…and Cosmo Canyon, which is why I sent this package where you'll find two cans of Banora White apple juice: one for you, and one for Aerith. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do._

_How is Aerith liking school?_

_-Sephiroth_

* * *

_ Dear Sephiroth,_

_ I couldn't be happier for you that you've made friends your own age, with two very exceptional boys from your description! (I think Aerith is a bit jealous, but I know she'll get over it)_

_ The juice is delicious. Aerith and I were sad to run out of it so quickly. I think it would make an excellent addition to the Ice Palace's menu. Ask your friend if he's ever tried freezing it. Add some vodka to it, and it might make a good mixed drink to serve at the bar.(I certainly hope you three wait until you're of age to try it, though!)_

_Aerith is quickly making friends of her own at school. Every day she tells me about the other children. She was frustrated that she didn't come home from her first day already knowing how to read, but she now knows it will take time. Today, she learned to count by tens, and has been doing so all evening. I finally had to put a moratorium on counting, it was simply driving me crazy!_

_I look forward to hearing more about your new friends. Your letters from this past summer did seem brighter, but I'm happy to know that they were probably contributing to that._

_Love,_

_Ifalna & Aerith_

* * *

_January, 1991_

_Dear Sephiroth,_

_ I have some wonderful news! As I mentioned to you in previous letters, Barnabas and I have been seeing each other for the past several months. Last night, he proposed to me, and I said yes. Aerith and I will be moving into his house on the outskirts of town as soon as possible. We haven't set a date just yet._

_ Aerith is very excited about this. She's thrilled to finally have a "daddy". Sephiroth…this may sound a bit strange considering how young you are, but I would be ecstatic if you not only could make it to the wedding, but also if you would be the one to give me away. Yes, you'd have to dress up, but no, not in a suit. Robes seem to be how we do it in Cosmo Canyon. I really hope you say yes. You have no idea how much it would mean to me, and to Aerith._

_Speaking of Aerith, I have included her very first letter to you._

_Love,_

_Ifalna_

**There was also a piece of paper with a crudely-drawn light blue dress, with shaky handwriting below:**

_DEAR SEPHIROTH,_

_ THIS IS MY DRESS FOR THE WEDDING!_

_LOVE,_

_AERITH_

* * *

A/N: And so ends part one of this story, where Ifalna, Aerith, and Sephiroth all get the chance to heal. It's a bit bittersweet that Sephiroth had to heal far away from the two people he loved the most. But the original story itself was bittersweet. Final Fantasy 7 is a tale of growth, discovery and friendship; but also of pain, loss, and the fear of loss. I wanted to keep things in that vein.

Keep checking in, folks. This story isn't even halfway over, whether or not I make it one or two.


	11. Part 2: The Calling: Prologue

**Part 2: The Calling**

* * *

Shout-outs:

mistgun4: Glad you're enjoying the story. Is this quick enough for an update? ;)

faunalind: I'm happy you like my O.C.'s. Normally pairing an original character with a canon character is seen as a cardinal sin in fan-fiction. However, I figure since it's a character who was never prominent in the original game, that I could get away with it. Their union is important, and you'll start to see why in the chapters following this one. Characters like Wolff and Master Terrato technically DID exist in the games, but they were nameless people only alluded to, who had died years before the story began. Avalanche was started by a man who traveled to Cosmo Canyon and had an epiphany, but died prior to Before Crisis, leaving Elfe and Fuhito in charge. With Fuhito gone, and Ifalna around, things might get even more backward than they already are, though.

pterodactyls: Yes, I've decided to keep it as one long story. There will be a second one that really wraps things up once in for all, but for now, the story is only just starting to pick up. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

catxangel: Little Aerith has been a blast for me to write. Kids are fun little critters, and there's always inspiration in the kids I see every day, whether at work or on the street. Besides- little Aerith had to have some charm to her if she was able to hold Tseng off from kidnapping her for fifteen years. :)

badnephilim: Angeal and Genesis don't live at the monastery, but they do live close-by. Their backgrounds haven't changed, except they might not be quite as motivated to work for the Shinra if Sephiroth lets them know exactly how rotten they are… ;)

WhiteInfinity21: Expect a more outwardly serene Sephiroth, who despite being trained in hand-to-hand martial arts(being a monk), still loves his Masamune.

Ardwynna Morrigu: The trio will be more fun now that Sephiroth is an equal, rather than a role model.

JazzQueen: Sephiroth won't be able to stay away from his two favorite ladies for long. :)

* * *

Prologue: Bad Day

April, 2002

Twenty-five-year-old Angeal Hewley examined the corpse of the monster he had just killed, and then pulled a cloth out of the cargo pocket on his pants. He began to clean the blood off of his large broadsword.

"I'll throw this thing in the cargo bed," Sephiroth offered as he grabbed the body of the giant beast, dragging it toward Angeal's old pickup truck, which sat nearby.

Genesis Rhapsodos looked around the jungle they had been wandering through, where they had spent the last hour killing monsters. "I think that's it," he said.

"No signs of life." Angeal agreed.

They waited until Sephiroth walked back over to them.

Genesis grinned. "So let's have some fun, huh?"

"Very well…" Sephiroth said with a nod.

"Does one of us referee?" Angeal asked, lifting up his broadsword, "Or will we do 'two on one'?"

"Two on one," Genesis answered, maintaining his grin as he lifted up a rapier and glanced at the dark-haired man, "Your first match with that fancy new sword, Angeal! Perhaps Sephiroth and I should team up against you and see how that new…what do you call that thing again?"

Angeal smiled proudly. "Buster Sword."

Sephiroth took several steps back and gave Masamune a few practice swings. "Use it well," he said appreciatively, "I've never seen you work harder than you have this past year to buy that thing."

"You should have just let your dad get it for you like he offered," Genesis said, shaking his head ruefully, "Now your small fortune you've saved up for so long is gone."

Angeal shook his head. "And let him go to his grave paying off the debt he'd get into in order to afford this? I already had most of the money anyway. He didn't know that."

It was true. Angeal had always saved his share of the money the earned from Genesis' apple juice business, and their monster-hunting business. Unlike Sephiroth, who relished in having the freedom to earn and spend money, and Genesis, who was arguably spoiled, Angeal had what his two best friends teasingly referred to as "financial honor".

"I'd rather my father enjoy his retirement," Angeal went on, "Try to be considerate, Genesis. I can always earn more money in due time."

"Good thing the sword-smith kept it on hold for you during the year it took you to earn the rest of the money," Sephiroth stated.

This had been the year that Angeal and Genesis had ventured off the island of Mideel to peddle Banora White apple juice where they could. They had asked Sephiroth to join them, and he did…but insisted on splitting up when they went to Gongaga. Sephiroth continued north up to Cosmo Canyon, where Genesis and Angeal knew he had friends that he wrote to frequently.

"So," Genesis said, steering his friend back to the point of their excursion, "You against me and Sephiroth?"

Angeal raised his sword and assumed a defensive stance. "Show me what you've got!"

Genesis and Sephiroth glanced at each other, smirking and nodding before raising their swords and charging at Angeal.

Sephiroth struck first, having the advantage of a longer-ranged weapon. He thrust Masamune at Angeal's side(where the worst that would happen would be a scratch, rather than a stabbing), which Angeal easily deflected. Genesis leaped into the air, landing behind Angeal and slicing downward. Angeal dodged and cart-wheeled backwards with his free hand, quickly landing on his feet and taking advantage of an opening that Genesis left. Sephiroth intervened, blocking the strike and then counter-attacking.

"What did I say about leaving your back uncovered?" he reminded Genesis.

"I knew _you'd_ have my back," Genesis argued as he raised his left hand, activating the ice materia embedded in the bracer he wore under his glove. Three blocks of ice shot in Angeal's direction. The dark-haired young man held up his Buster Sword, using the foot-wide blade as a shield, deflecting the projectiles toward both Genesis and Sephiroth. Both men ducked in opposite directions, each rolling out of the way of the ice blocks, which all shattered against a large boulder.

Genesis charged at Angeal, swinging wildly. Not even bothering to use his sword, Angeal dodged every swing before leaping into the air and then diving at Sephiroth, his Buster Sword swinging in a wide arc.

Sephiroth shot back against a tree, avoiding Angeal's attack. He used his legs to spring against the angled trunk and launch himself into the air. The dark-haired swordsman leaped up, following him. The two men's swords clashed furiously against each other as they briefly hovered in mid-air.

Angeal and Genesis were the only other people aside from Sephiroth, and members of the SOLDIER program, who could suspend themselves in the air like that. Sephiroth could never fathom how. He knew that consistent usage of materia often led to extraordinary physical abilities, but even materia couldn't explain their extremely advanced abilities. According to both of them, they had been born and raised in Banora. Neither of them had been involved in any accidents with mako, as Barnabas had. Still, the Lifestream bled openly in the area just outside of Mideel Proper. He wondered if perhaps there was something that their respective parents weren't telling them.

He didn't have time to contemplate that theory right now, however. Seeing him and Angeal duking it out more than twenty feet up off the ground, Genesis took the opportunity to activate his fire materia, launching a few fireballs into the sky, watching gleefully as they hurtled toward Angeal. His enthusiasm was short-lived, however, as Angeal deflected every one of them, sending them off to the lake that was in the distance, where the water would put them out.

Both Sephiroth and Angeal landed on the ground. Angeal held out Buster Sword, activating one of the two materia embedded in the hilt. The ground began to tremble below both Genesis and Sephiroth. While Sephiroth jumped up into the air again, the small earthquake had caught Genesis, sending him to the ground, where his left arm landed against a sharp rock. The redhead grunted in pain.

A brief look of concern flashed in Angeal's eyes. That was all Sephiroth needed as he cast a "bio" spell on him. The results were instant, and Angeal immediately clutched his stomach, ready to throw up. With a single, powerful swipe of the Masamune, he knocked the large weapon out of his opponent's hands. Sephiroth then wasted no time in reaching out with his foot and sweeping Angeal's feet, sending him crashing to the ground, gasping and dry-heaving. His face had gone pale, also becoming a slight shade of green.

Sephiroth calmly walked over to him and pinned his chest underneath his foot. He then pulled an antidote out of his pocket and tossed it to his friend.

Angeal uncorked the medicine and quickly drank it, ignoring the awful taste. He took a few deep breaths and then finally relaxed, his complexion back to normal.

"Looks like I just need to break in my sword a bit more," he said as he remained pinned underneath Sephiroth's foot. He then noticed Genesis inspecting a cut on his arm. "Hey- you're bleeding!"

"Just a scratch," Genesis said dismissively as he started to walk back toward the truck, "Not even worthy of materia. You've still got that first-aid kit under the driver's seat, right?"

"Always," Angeal answered. He then looked up at Sephiroth, "Hey, how about letting me up?"

Sephiroth obliged his friend, lifting his foot and stepping back. Angeal got to his feet, brushing the dirt off of himself.

"Had to steal my thunder, huh?" Genesis complained as he came back with a roll of cloth and began to bandage the cut on his arm.

Sephiroth smirked at him. "Don't take it so personally. It's just how my kind operate."

"Your kind?" Angeal asked as he tapped Sephiroth's foot, indicated surrender.

"Us lefties are simply better at everything," Sephiroth chuckled as he lifted his foot, allowing Angeal to stand up, "Better swordsmen, better artists…"

"Yeah, so I hear," Genesis teased, "Some even say better lovers. I'll bet that's what the girl you met last summer who was vacationing in Mideel Proper said. Then of course, you had to go break her heart…"

Sephiroth's smirk vanished. He turned and began to walk away.

"Completely uncalled for," Angeal chided Genesis.

"Oh, nice," Genesis sneered, "He's the one who acts like a baby and runs away from what could have been a good thing, and _I'm_ the villain?"

"It's his life," Angeal pointed out, "If she's not who he wants to be with, then that's that. You're not his match-maker."

Genesis sighed, clearly annoyed. "Break time's over," he said, "We're done here, and we've got bounties to claim, not to mention crates of juice to deliver."

Sephiroth, having heard Genesis, turned, and without looking at his friends, headed off in the direction of Angeal's truck.

"What's with you these days?" Angeal asked as he and Genesis walked roughly twenty feet behind Sephiroth, "You're restless…no attention span…provoking Sephiroth, provoking myself. You're like a rabid puppy."

Genesis grimaced, and shook his head. "Is this all there is?" he asked, "Day in, day out, we run our little company. Monster hunters, and apple juice. Yet, Mideel is the limit. We could do so much more…if _he…_" Genesis nodded his head toward Sephiroth, "…would come out of that shell of a temple."

Sephiroth, having heard his friend, turned and glared in his direction.

"Idiot," Angeal chided Genesis, knowing Sephiroth's hearing was even better than theirs, which said a lot.

"It was meant for the 'turtle' to hear," Genesis said, staring right at the silver-haired man.

Angeal frowned, his mind traveling far away, into the past.

* * *

For twelve years, they had been the intrepid trio. Their friendship had endured the usual childhood spats, but also bitter confessions. Sephiroth's story had been what had ended his and Genesis' idea to work for the Shinra. They had talked about joining the new SOLDIER program, which had opened its doors for kids as young as thirteen. As a valid alternative to the dreary life that was high school, many young men(and a few women), were eager to seek their fortunes with the Shinra.

During the early spring months of 1991, several months after their friendship with Sephiroth had solidified, they had camped out in Genesis' back yard. Sephiroth had been in Cosmo Canyon for a wedding, and had been gone for an entire week. The camp-out was a sort of "welcome back" celebration for the two Banora natives' newest friend. Angeal and Genesis had seen the advertisements for SOLDIER all week since the program had officially launched. They had spoken excitedly about it to one another at school, eventually starting to make plans to join.

Genesis had wanted to include Sephiroth in their plans, and Angeal had agreed enthusiastically. The trio had already become famous in Banora: the rich heir, the poor boy, and the monk initiate, clearing the wilderness of monsters, and peddling Genesis' Banora White apple juice to stores in not only Banora, but a couple of the neighboring villages. The three mercenaries and entrepreneurs. The boy wonders. It only made sense that they could really take off with a program that seemed almost designed specifically _for_ them.

To their shock, however, Sephiroth had not only been against the idea, but had grown _furious_. He and Genesis began to argue, as the redhead couldn't understand what Sephiroth's problem was. With neither boy willing to listen to the other, they had ultimately come to blows.

It was Angeal who finally broke up the fight, but not before he had managed to sustain two black eyes at once: one from Sephiroth's fist, and one from Genesis'. That managed to snap them out of their brawl. He proceeded to mediate between the two of them; the first of many times. Anyone who happened to sneak by and watch the scene would have stopped short at the sight of Sephiroth and Genesis sitting cross-legged on either side of Angeal, whose eyes had swollen nearly shut in a way that was almost humorous. Materia usage was forbidden in Mideel to people under fifteen(another incentive for young teens to join SOLDIER), so Angeal simply had to endure his injuries until an adult could look at them, even if the sight of his face was rather comical.

The comedy had ended when Sephiroth had decided to share his past with them. The calm, collected youth told them everything: about growing up surrounded by scientists, of his parents who had conspired to turn him into the freak he considered himself to be. How his mother had surrendered herself and the unborn Sephiroth to be used as lab rats in a top-secret genetic experiment. He had kept a few of his abilities secret until then, but was able to resolve their disbelief at the details of his story, when he phased from right in front of them, to behind the tent that had been set up nearby.

They now listened quietly as he told them about the rigorous physical training that bordered on abuse, and the daily injections and tests that now made him averse to needles. Angeal had been shocked by Sephiroth's words, but he was even more stunned that he had managed to deliver the story so matter-of-factly. Most children their age would have fallen apart telling such a heart-breaking story, especially if it were their own. However, Sephiroth simply droned on, as if he had been sapped of energy. Indeed, he seemed to have spent it all while trying to beat the crap out of Genesis.

It wasn't until he had told them about the two other prisoners in the labs, whom he met when he was eight years old, that he showed any kid of emotion. He had not mentioned them by name, as if afraid to reveal their identities, but he spoke of them with great affection, finally cracking a smile.

He told them about the young mother whose husband, a scientist he had admired as a small child, had been murdered by his own bastard of a father. He mentioned the vents, which he had first spoken to the grieving widow from. He spoke about watching the woman's baby girl grow up, not even realizing she was a prisoner; and how he made sure that her childish antics didn't get her into too much trouble. He told them of the time he was put in isolation for a week, because he had broken the arm of a guard who had struck the little girl when she was only four. Her crime? Being restless while she waited for her mother to return from her tests, and having spilled a cup of water on the guard while she had been running around with it.

He told them about how he had managed to engineer their escape less than a year ago, but refused to elaborate on the details when Genesis had pressed him. Angeal knew that Genesis was hoping for a heroic tale, but Sephiroth had clammed up by that point. Only then, did the boy's eyes start to look just a little bit red.

They had believed him. It just didn't seem like their friend to make up such a story like that. Had Genesis been the one to tell that tale, then perhaps Angeal would have taken it with a very large grain of salt. He knew that his spunky and occasionally immature best friend often got just a little bit carried away.

That was the last time either Angeal or Genesis ever brought up SOLDIER again.

* * *

"Nagging him won't do any good," said Angeal as his thoughts returned to the present, "If Shinra is still seeking him out, he has every reason to worry about being spotted by them. It's not exactly as if he blends into a crowd."

"Mideel has grown quite small," Genesis groused, before opening the door and climbing into passenger seat.

Angeal sighed, taking his keys out of his pocket and opening the door before climbing inside. The truck bounced slightly as Sephiroth climbed into the rear. The truck roared to life as Angeal turned the keys in the ignition and drove off, leaving the steamy jungle behind.

"Hey," Genesis called out to Sephiroth through the window.

"What?" Sephiroth droned as he sat with his back to the rear window.

"I just don't wanna see you rotting in that damned temple," Genesis said, cracking a small smile, "We could be heroes, the three of us…Shinra be damned. Maybe we can join that resistance movement you mentioned."

Sephiroth heaved a sigh. "Heroes are over-rated," he said quietly.

Genesis tried to catch Angeal's eye, but the raven-haired young man kept his eyes on the road as he continued to drive to their next destination.

* * *

The Gaian temple was only a fifteen-minute drive away from the last delivery. Angeal pulled up to the gates and parked, allowing Sephiroth to jump out and approach the entrance. A monk on guard duty greeted him and opened the front gate, allowing him inside.

Angeal backed out onto the main road, driving the eight miles it took to get back to Banora. Neither he nor Genesis said anything until they finally entered the small house that the two had shared for the past five years.

"Let's see what we can make into dinner," Angeal muttered as he strolled into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.

"This'll do for me," Genesis said as he grabbed a dumb-apple and a granola bar. He began to make his way toward the hallway leading to his bedroom.

"Genesis," Angeal called.

The redhead turned around, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

"If you want to be a hero, you've got to have dreams, and _honor,_" Angeal said pointedly, "Show a little empathy for Sephiroth. He's still got demons."

Genesis looked at the floor. He then lifted his arm and rolled back his sleeve, and was alarmed to see blood still seeping through the bandage, hours after sustaining the wound. However, just as quickly as his shocked expression appeared, it vanished.

"That wound..." Angeal began.

"…Is just a scratch," Genesis said dismissively, "It'll heal. 'Nothing shall forestall my return…'."

He turned and headed inside his room, closing the door behind him.

"I'm bringing you to the doctor myself if it doesn't improve in the morning!" Angeal called out after him.

No response.

Angeal shrugged, and continued to rummage around for something to make dinner with.


	12. Chapter 1: Dreams Of The Morrow

Shout-outs:

badnephilim: Yep, Banora is on the west side of Mideel, I believe.

mistgun4: Yeah, he's an ass, but he's got hero potential. After all, he did refuse to help Deepground due to feeling remorse over his actions during the Genesis War. I think he'll be okay as long as he's kept away from Hollander and given more hope for the future.

Ardwynna Morrigu: Angeal puts up with a lot, but at least he'll be less likely to see himself as "the perfect monster", since he never joined SOLDIER. Therefore, he might not be so inclined to commit suicide-by-SOLDIER once he finds out the truth of his past. ;)

JazzQueen: Seph's not out of the woods yet. He might not be as vulnerable as he was in the original timeline, but Jenova still wants what she wants. :X

* * *

Chapter 1: Dreams Of The Morrow

The sun rose, bathing all of Cosmo Canyon in its morning light, revealing a curious sight for anyone who traveled within the canyon's limits. Nestled against a rocky plateau, was a large one-story concrete house, the land surrounding it wrapped in fertile green earth. Near the house, and surrounded by a brick wall, and then several feet of grass, was a small fountain that rose approximately 2-3 feet above the ground. It was almost like a small-scale replica of the Geomancer's Grotto in the labyrinth that made up the heart of the town.

No one knew exactly what had happened or how. The rock surrounding the house had broken down into soil over the years. The grass and flowers had been planted over ten years ago, and flourished despite the lack of rain. It was said that the Lifestream itself had blessed this particular geological anomaly, due to the presence of the last-known members of the Cetra race.

Every morning, the front door would open, and the man of the house would step out, but not before getting a kiss from his wife, who would then playfully shove him outside.

Half-an-hour later, two children- a boy and a girl- would run out, trailed by their older sister.

Finally, the wife would emerge with a small boy in her arms, and leave for the hospital.

Several hours later, the three school-aged children would return. Almost every day, they headed for the back yard, where they would kick off their shoes and play in the soft grass. Their parents and younger brother would arrive not long after that.

This particular Friday was no different from most other days. The oldest, seventeen-year-old Aerith Duran(her official surname for the past eleven years) sat in the shade that the house provided, sipping from a can of Carbuncle Cola, while keeping an eye on the ten-year-old twins. The boy, Cassius, was already in a grappling stance, trying to get his sister, Carlie, to engage him in a sparring match.

"But I'm thirsty!" the girl protested as she reached into the back of the solar-powered cooler for a drink.

"Take a gulp of whatever and then we'll do it," Cassius said, still in his crouched position, "Come on- you know our yard is way more comfy than any mat. Like matching on clouds."

"You're only gonna beat me again," Carlie protested as she opened a can of grape soda and took a few sips.

"Carlie," Aerith said disapprovingly, "If you go in with that kind of attitude, then of course he'll beat you!"

"Easy for you to say," Carlie sulked as she put the can on the ledge of a nearby window. "You beat even the largest students at the school."

"If you worked on your technique, you could too," said Aerith as she stretched out on her lawn chair. "You have the exact same body I did when I was ten. You can do it too."

"I'm not made for fighting," Carlie muttered as she got into the same stance as her brother.

"Funny, I used to think the same exact thing," Aerith mused, taking another sip of her soda. "If I hadn't ended up living here, I'd probably have kept thinking like that. Probably would've turned out to be a real wimp in battle too."

"I'm not a wimp!" Carlie protested angrily.

"I didn't say you were," Aerith said calmly, "Just that you- watch out!"

Cassius took advantage of his sister being distracted and went in for an easy tackle. The two siblings hit the ground and began rolling around, each of them trying to figure out a way to submit the other.

Just then, the sliding glass door opened, and three-year-old Gabe came running out, immediately knowing to keep his distance while the twins wrestled. He made a beeline for Aerith.

"Hi!" he said as he climbed into his eldest sister's lap.

"Hey there, little guy," Aerith said as she put her drink down on the small table next to her. "Did you play with the other kids at the hospital?"

It was an idea that Ifalna had years ago, when Aerith was little. She and Dr. Triton had noticed a pattern: people that came into contact with not just Ifalna, but Aerith as well, tended to make faster recoveries. The same pattern occurred with the twins, and with little Gabe. It was, after all, a way for Ifalna to keep working, and still be able to look after the kids. It also added extra consolation to have the kids where she could see them. Ifalna never stopped having nightmares about the Shinra snatching the children right out from under her.

"I play with Sherman," Gabe answered cheerfully, "Sherman got no hair."

Aerith nodded solemnly. Sherman was a little boy of four, with cancer.

"Sherman got wace car!" Gabe announced.

"_Race_ car!" Cassius corrected his little brother's speech. That allowed Carlie to fling her knee around his neck in a triangle-choke.

"What color was the race car?" Aerith asked.

"Gween!" Gabe answered. He held his hands about six inches apart. "Dis big!"

Aerith smiled. "And what else did you do?"

"Ate ice-kweem."

"Oh, the sea salt kind?" Aerith teased, knowing he disliked that flavor.

"Yucky!" Gabe exclaimed, "I wike chocolate!"

Aerith snickered and glanced at the twins, noticing that Carlie still had Cassius in the triangle-choke. To her horror, her brother's lips were turning blue as he struggled to get free. "Carlie, let him up!" she exclaimed.

"Why? He's not tapping out!" Carlie argued.

"He's turning blue!" Aerith pointed out, "Let him go!"

Dejectedly, Carlie obeyed. Cassius began gasping for air.

"I swear to Shiva, Cass- you're going to get yourself killed!" Aerith said as she put Gabe on the grass and went over to her brother. She ran her now glowing hand over his back, relaxing the spasms in his lungs and allowing him to breathe better.

"I could have beaten her!" the boy panted, "I just needed five seconds!"

"In five seconds, you would have been unconscious from lack of air," Aerith stated bluntly, "It's just a match. Surrendering won't kill you."

Carlie rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Can't you just admit for once that I finally beat you?"

Ifalna stepped out into the yard. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Cassius nearly passed out because he was too proud to surrender when Carlie got him in a choke," said Aerith, "I had to make Carlie let go."

"I still won," Carlie maintained.

"Did not!" Cassius argued.

"Stubborn and proud, just like your father," Ifalna groaned in frustration, knowing her husband also hated to admit defeat.

"Who's just like me?" Barnabas asked as he appeared in the doorway.

"Daddy!" Gabe shrieked as he ran over to his father.

"Hey, big guy," Barnabas scooped up his younger son and hugged him, "You been good today?"

"Uh-huh!" said Gabe.

"I finally beat Cass in a sparring match just now!" Carlie announced.

"I didn't surrender!" Cassius argued.

"You would have gone under if I hadn't let you go!" Carlie argued back.

"Hey, hey, hey- let's hold off the arguments until dinner, all right?" Barnabas interrupted the twins.

"I guess that's my cue," Aerith said as she stood up. It was her turn to cook dinner tonight.

"Don't burn anything," Cassius said, glib as always.

"I'm cooking pasta," Aerith said, glaring at her brother, "I'm not so hopeless as to burn pasta. I don't see you cooking dinner anytime soon." She then stalked inside.

"Teenagers…" Cassius said, shaking his head, "Am I right?"

"Don't you have homework to do?" his mother asked, annoyed.

Cassius sighed as he also went inside. "Sooo glad school ends next week…" he moaned.

"You too, champion fighter," Ifalna said to her younger daughter, ushering her inside.

"Wanna go inside too?" Barnabas asked Gabe.

"Yeah," the little boy answered.

"Alrighty then."

* * *

Dinner was always a couple of hours earlier than most families usually ate. This was so that Barnabas and the children had time to digest their food before they all went to train together at ANSMA under Terrato. Ifalna would stay at the house, now that even Gabe was taking part in the toddler tumbling class. She would sit in the back yard and beseech the planet for its wisdom. One might have called it meditation, but Ifalna knew it was so much more than that. Now that Aerith was getting older, she was beginning to understand as well. The teenager had her own time to pursue said wisdom, waking up earlier in the morning than the rest of her family to connect with the planet. Eventually, the other children would one day take part themselves, but for now, the planet saw fit to let them be, and enjoy the innocence of youth. There would be plenty of time to take part in their duty as Cetra.

Once Barnabas and the children arrived at home, everyone would power down. Gabe was the first to go to bed, and the twins would turn in an hour later. Then Ifalna and Barnabas would retire to their rooms. Aerith would often stay up to draw, paint, or read, and typically went to bed around midnight. Then she would get about six hours of sleep.

Tonight was no different, though as she got under the covers and made herself comfortable, she couldn't help but feel as if something was about to happen. However, sleep soon found her before she could give the matter further thought.

* * *

_Aerith looked around the void she had found herself in. There was nothing but darkness around her. She tried to move her arms and legs, but it was as if she no longer had a body._

_ She began to panic internally. Was she dead? How did she die? Had something taken her by surprise? Most importantly, where was the Lifestream?_

THE TIME DRAWS NEAR…

_"What's going on?!" she managed to ask, finding that she did still have a voice._

_ THE CALAMITY STIRS AGAIN. SHE DESIRES HER CHILDREN._

_ "Children?" Aerith would have scowled, had she a face. "Calamity…you mean Jenova, right? You don't have to worry about Sephiroth! He's a good man! My brothers and sister wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him!"_

_ THERE ARE MORE OF HIS KIND…THEY ARE COMING…_

_ "Are they good guys like Sephiroth?" Aerith asked, "Is this why we haven't heard from him lately?"_

_ INDEED…THERE IS TIME TO DETERMINE THE ANSWER TO THAT. BUT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO MUST ACT. I CANNOT. I MERELY SEE. I SEE MANY POSSIBILITIES…THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN POSSIBILITIES._

_ It was as if a large TV monitor had been turned on in front of her. Aerith watched as she saw a small boy with silver hair, glancing at a grate on the wall in front of him. Aerith realized to her astonishment, that the child was Sephiroth. She saw him pull the grate down and crawl inside. Then the scene changed, and she saw her much younger and sadder-looking mother embracing the child, while Aerith's infant self lay in a cradle nearby. She then saw thirteen-year-old Sephiroth driving the van that had gotten them out of Midgar so many years ago._

_ Then, the image disappeared. She saw the same beginning, only Sephiroth never pulled down the grate and walked into the wall. The image changed, and she saw her younger self crouched on the platform of a train station, tears running down her face as she pulled on someone's arm, begging them to get up. Then, as if a camera were panning back, her mother was revealed. She was deathly pale, and bleeding heavily from an open wound on her leg._

_ "What happened?!" Aerith cried out, horrified._

_ THAT WAS THE PATH NOT TAKEN. SEPHIROTH SAVED YOUR MOTHER'S LIFE. HAD THEY NOT MET, SHE WOULD HAVE FALLEN FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. BUT THE FUTURE IS NEVER SET IN STONE…_

_ Aerith cried out in horror more bodies appeared: men, women, children, animals, all piled up as mako crashed over them in waves. The scene faded to black._

_ When the darkness lifted again, it showed a girl around her age with very long, dark hair, dressed in a leather vest and matching skirt, with a white sleeveless shirt underneath. She lay on the ground barely breathing, staring in horror at a wide bloody gash across her chest. A young man with spiky black hair, wearing a Shinra SOLDIER uniform lay sprawled on the ground in the rain, his body riddled with bullets. The translucent image of another man from SOLDIER stood over the body. His back was turned so that Aerith couldn't see his face, but his arm stretched out toward the fallen young man, whose spirit rose up to meet the other._

_ "Do you think I became a hero?" the spiky-haired man asked hopefully._

_ Two young men and a young woman, all wearing red bandanas, looking up in horror as a huge platform of sorts came crashing down on them. Aerith tried to close her eyes in vain. She had no eyelids, after all._

_ THERE IS STILL TIME. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN...THE CETRA MUST NOT DISAPPEAR…I COULD NOT BEAR IT..._

_ The image shifted once more. A female figure in a pink dress and red bolero jacket sat slumped in the arms of another SOLDIER, this time with spiky blond hair. The young man's shoulders shook, as if he were sobbing._

_ "What about us?!" he shouted in anguish, "What are WE supposed to do?! What about…my pain…?!"_

_ He lifted his head, and Aerith could see a bloody stab wound on the young woman's stomach. The "camera" panned back, revealing the woman's face…_

_ Despite not having a body, Aerith could feel her blood growing cold as she realized the woman was her._

_ She was dead._

* * *

A bloodcurdling scream ripped Ifalna from her own troubled dreams. The first thing she felt was relief that she was awake, despite not remembering what it was she had dreamt of. The second thing she felt was panic as she realized the scream was coming from Aerith's room. Immediately, she jumped out of bed and bolted out of the bedroom, nearly tripping and falling as she dashed down the hallway, and flung her daughter's bedroom door open.

Aerith lay in her bed, the covers being tossed about as her arms and legs thrashed about violently. Tears ran down her face as she continued to scream bloody murder.

"Sweetheart, wake up!" Ifalna shouted as she hurried over to her eldest child, staying clear of her legs so as not to get kicked. She reached out and gripped Aerith's shoulders firmly and began to shake her awake.

Aerith's eyes popped open, and she tried to sit up, except Ifalna held her down. She lay there, panting, as her eyes darted around the room.

"It's okay, Aerith..." Ifalna said quietly as she relaxed her grip, "You're awake now."

"Mom...!" Aerith sat up and flung her arms around her mother, sobbing loudly.

"Just a dream, honey," Ifalna reassured her, rubbing her daughter's back, "It was just a dream…"

"It wasn't just a dream…!" Aerith cried, "It was trying to warn me! It showed me all these bodies and said I couldn't let it happen! It said the Cetra couldn't disappear…but…!"

"Hush now…" Ifalna soothed her.

"But Mom, the Cetra _are_ going to disappear!" Aerith hiccupped, "There's only five of us left! Eventually, our kind will be bred out of existence!"

"I know they will," Ifalna acknowledged as she still held her trembling daughter tightly, "Millions of years ago, enormous lizards roamed the planet's surface. It's a sad thought, Aerith, but their time came and they disappeared. Sadly, it looks like _our_ time has come. And one day, that time will come for the humans as well. But you and I will still live long, full lives, and so will your sister and brothers."

"No, I'm going to die young," Aerith wept, "I saw it…the planet itself told me that it could happen. I was wearing a pink dress, and I wasn't an old woman…I was young! Maybe a few years older, but still! How am I supposed to do all the things I dreamed of doing if I die so young?!"

"Aerith, stop it," Ifalna said firmly as she let go of her daughter. She took Aerith's face in her hands and looked her straight in the eye. "Panicking will do you absolutely no good. What did I always used to tell you when you were little and we were both…?" she trailed off, purposely not finishing the sentence.

"Prisoners of the Shinra," Aerith finished it for her.

"Shh!" Ifalna put a finger to her lips and lowered her voice to barely a whisper: "You were screaming loud enough to wake the dead, and I don't want the twins to overhear if they're awake. They're not ready to hear about that yet."

Indeed, the twins knew nothing about their mother and half-sister's life in captivity. Neither of them had bothered to even ask how their parents had met. They knew that Aerith had a different father than they did, and that he had been killed when Aerith was just a baby. When they had asked how, Ifalna refused to answer, saying that she would tell them the story when they were older. While she had stated seventeen years ago that she wanted her daughter to grow up tough, her stance had altered slightly since then. She was glad that her children were all training to fight(even little Gabe was learning how to tumble and roll), and that they were well-adjusted and independent. However, she often wondered how much Aerith remembered from that terrible time period, and how it affected her. The teenager was in many ways, her mother's daughter- not just in her special abilities, but in other ways. She didn't allow people to see her vulnerable side anymore than Ifalna did. There was one exception, however. Ifalna had let down her walls for Barnabas, and hoped that her daughter could one day find someone she felt comfortable doing the same with.

"I told you to never, _ever_ give up," Ifalna reminded Aerith, who had finally started to calm down.

"Yeah…" Aerith mumbled.

"Come on," Ifalna said, standing up and taking her daughter's hand, "Let's sit in the kitchen and talk about this. That way if anyone comes, we'll be able to hear them."

Aerith hesitated.

"Come on," her mother reassured her, "I know I always feel better after a nightmare when I can talk about them."

Aerith got out of bed and looked at her mother, managing a small smile. "You mean with Daddy?"

Ifalna nodded, smiling herself. "Yes. Let's go now."

She took her hand and left the room with Aerith in tow.

* * *

"…And then, I saw myself, two dead SOLDIERs, and a girl my age who was dying. Three other young people wearing red bandanas got crushed by…something. There was a guy with blond hair holding me. He was crying…like his heart was broken…"

Ifalna set down the cup of tea she had been sipping from and reached across the kitchen table, taking her daughter's hand and squeezing it reassuringly. Aerith smiled.

"I wonder though…" she continued, her eyes twinkling good-naturedly, "Do you think that means he loved me? Maybe I finally get a boyfriend."

"Ugh…" Ifalna groaned quietly, "You're so flighty sometimes. You really _are _your father's daughter."

"I'm just trying to cheer myself up," Aerith defended herself as her smile vanished, "I'm scared, Mom. The thing about there being others like Sephiroth…is it possible?"

"For others to be constructed the way Sephiroth was?" Ifalna asked, "Absolutely. Faremis explained it to me as best as a layperson like me could understand. The mother, and the fetus were both injected with Jenova cells. The result: a very strong and powerful child. And there's plenty of Jenova cells to go around from how your father described it.

"Even if such a child didn't fall under Jenova's influence, they could be trouble if they're not mature enough to handle that kind of strength…" She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe…that's what we're trying to avoid? These people, perhaps they need to be found, before something catastrophic happens?"

Aerith nodded. "It would make sense if the Shinra kept the existence of any others a secret from Sephiroth. Could you imagine the kind of trouble that would have caused them if there were others? And if they all decided to escape with us?"

"It might even explain why the Shinra decided to cut their losses after we got away," Ifalna realized, "They could have had a back-up plan all along."

"What does this mean?" Aerith asked. She then began to look frightened again. "I don't want to die…"

"I won't let that happen," Ifalna said fiercely, "And clearly, the planet doesn't want that happening either. That's why it's warning you. And I think it was trying to warn me too."

"What do you mean?" Aerith asked as she picked up her own cup of tea and began to drink it.

"I woke up from a bad dream as well," said Ifalna, "But the problem is, I can't remember what it was…only that I was glad to be woken up from it."

"You can't remember…" Aerith couldn't help but snicker.

"Yes, yes," Ifalna sighed impatiently, "Story of my life."

She picked up her tea and continued to drink.

"Maybe you will remember," said Aerith.

"The planet told me I would remember," Ifalna recalled, "Years ago, when we first settled here it said that the key to my memories would come in time. But first, I needed to heal. I _have_ healed, Aerith. I'd like to think I've come a long way…" she trailed off.

"We never talk about that time…" Aerith remarked.

"…No, we don't," her mother acknowledged, "Not since you finally understood the differences between life in captivity, and life in freedom."

"They hurt you a lot more than they hurt me…" Aerith whispered, her voice pained, "…didn't they?"

"You have no idea…" Ifalna whispered back, shaking her head.

"What gave them the right?" Aerith asked, her voice suddenly angry.

"I can't answer that question," Ifalna told her sadly, "Please…don't let yourself get angry. It's all water under the bridge."

"I _am_ angry," said Aerith, "But Daddy always says there's two kinds of anger: the kind that'll destroy you in the end, and the kind that makes you want to take a stand, and make a change. And that's exactly what I'm feeling."

"Does that mean you accept the planet's mission, however vague it may be?" Ifalna asked.

"Do you think I can really save those people?" Aerith asked, looking small and vulnerable.

Ifalna fought the urge to take her little girl in her arms and not let any harm whatsoever come to her. She knew that such thoughts were foolish. She could not protect her children from everything, as disheartening as that fact was. Instead, she looked at her daughter, and spoke firmly:

"The planet chose you. Clearly, it has faith in you. I have faith in you too. After all, you and I go back a long way: seventeen years. I'd like to think I know you pretty well."

A small smile appeared on Aerith's face. Encouraged, her mother continued:

"You're scared. I understand that. But the planet wouldn't entrust you to stop this impending disaster if it didn't think you could. So the first thing you need to do is believe in yourself. After that, well, you'll just have to do your absolute best."

Aerith stared at her cup of tea. "I accept the mission, then," she said solemnly, "I can't change the past. My biological father is still dead. Shinra still hurt us…but they haven't beaten us. I get the feeling that this thing may very well mean I'll be crossing paths with them again. There were a few members of SOLDIER involved in my dream, after all. But…I don't think they were the bad guys. It seems like the planet wanted me to save them, whether it be from death, or grief."

Ifalna's hands clenched into fists. The idea of her daughter encountering the Shinra again was not a thought she relished in. The thought of her falling into their clutches and going through the same torture that Ifalna herself went through…what kind of twisted experiments would Hojo try and subject Aerith to now that she was older? What was more, Hojo was a spiteful man. What would he do, just to get back at her for having escaped?

"Relax, Mom," Aerith's voice broke her out of her dark thoughts. Clearly she sensed Ifalna's anxiety. "I haven't left yet. I still don't think I've gotten any official go-ahead from the planet. I've got time to figure all of this out."

"You seem to have recovered from your dream, then," Ifalna's voice sounded relieved.

"Sometimes, a girl just needs to talk things over with her mom," Aerith stated, her cheery disposition having returned. She lifted her cup and finished her tea. Her mother did the same.

"All right," said Ifalna as she stood up and picked up the two empty cups, "We've talked it out, and now we've got tea in our systems to help calm us both down. It's quarter-of-four, and we should go back to sleep. It's a wonder your dad hasn't woken up and come looking for me. He must have had a really busy day."

She put the cups in the sink, and turned around, only to see Aerith throw her arms around her.

"Thanks, Mom…" Aerith whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Ifalna whispered back as she kissed the side of Aerith's forehead and patted her back. She stepped back. "Let's try to get some rest now…"

* * *

"Why is everyone so quiet today?" Barnabas asked as the family sat at the table, eating breakfast.

"Rough night," Cassius muttered. Carlie nodded in agreement.

Ifalna looked at the twins, concerned. Even the twins had suffered a bad night's sleep?

"Daddy, I had a bad dweam," Gabe whined.

Ifalna stared at her little boy, stunned now. Had everyone had nightmares last night? What did this all mean?

"What was it about?" Barnabas asked.

Gabe shrugged.

"Did you forget what it was about?" Ifalna asked.

The toddler nodded.

"And that's why you're so tired, huh?" Barnabas remarked as he ran his hand over his son's wild brown hair.

Gabe nodded again.

"Well, that's okay," he said, "Your mama's not working today, so you can take a nap and catch up on your-,"

"No nap!" Gabe shouted, afraid, "No bad dweam!"

Ifalna shot her husband a "What were you thinking?" look. The boy hated settling down for a nap as it was, let alone that he would now be afraid of encountering the same bad dream from the night before.

"Ah, right," Barnabas said, feeling stupid, "I meant to say, you can go lie down in the back yard and listen to the special people singing to you."

The "special people" he referred to was actually the Lifestream. Not only did Ifalna hear the voices of the Lifestream, but all four of the children could hear them. All Barnabas could understand of it was that it had an almost musical quality to it, as if it were a song, and that it had the ability to lull his youngest child to sleep.

"Speaking of singing…" Carlie said as she stood up, carrying her empty dish and cup to the sink, "I'm gonna go practice at the rec center."

"Oh, would you mind getting the mail?" Ifalna asked.

Carlie went to the front door and opened it. She reached inside the mail holder outside and grabbed the few envelopes that were inside.

"Nothing from Mideel," she announced as she handed the letters to her mother.

Aerith frowned. It had been two weeks since they had sent out their last letters to Sephiroth. For twelve years, she and Ifalna wrote Sephiroth religiously, and he had written back just as frequently. This was not like him at all. Did it possibly have something to do with her vision?

Ifalna saw the worried look in Aerith's eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing," she said.

Aerith stood up. "I'm going to the library," she announced, "I'll run a search on Mideel and the temple in case anything's happened."  
"If anything really bad had happened, we would have felt it," said Ifalna, "You know that."

"Yeah, I know," Aerith sighed as she put her dishes in the sink, "It's just…I don't know. It's bad enough he's busy with his monster-hunting and his friend's juice business, and it's even worse that I wasn't around during his last visit here. At least the letters were regular."

Ifalna nodded. "Keep me posted," she said.

"Wait up, Carlie," Aerith said to her sister, "I'll walk with you part of the way."

The younger girl nodded and waited for Aerith to get her things together. Finally, they walked out of the house together.

* * *

Aerith and Carlie walked down the rocky terrain together silently, basking in the cool morning air. They knew that in only a few hours, the sun would become uncomfortably hot. The tunnel system was not only a shortcut to get from one place to another. It was how the residents of Cosmo Canyon stayed cool.

Carlie reached into her pocket and pulled out a hair-tie, pulling her long, wavy hair back. It was almost identical to Aerith's own wavy locks, but lighter in color. Both she and Cassius had inherited their father's honey-blond hair color. The fact was, the twins had been nearly identical when they were babies. For a time, they were nearly inseparable. Pre-adolescence had changed them. While Cassius had always been his father's son, and loved weapons and fighting, Carlie was more interested in music, and loved to sing and play the ocarina. Her more recent passion was practicing the piano that the rec center had.

Aerith could relate somewhat. Her own love for drawing and coloring had blossomed over the years, and evolved into painting and charcoals. The walls of her bedroom were decorated with pictures of Cosmo Canyon's gorgeous landscapes. Indeed, the land served as her own personal inspiration, and her mother always encouraged her talents. Aerith knew that some parents(especially those in Midgar who could barely support themselves, let alone the arts) did not consider artistic endeavors to be "practical", and would discourage their children from such pursuits. She was grateful that her mother and stepfather were not those kinds of parents.

She remembered how her mother had told her once, how pleased her father…her biological father; would have been with her talents. She had wished desperately that she had a picture of him to copy. Her wish had been granted when she was twelve, and the library had finally gotten Worldwide Network access. Doing a search, she found a picture of him on an archaeological dig, when he was still an intern in his early-20's. It was probably the one that yielded the frozen body of Jenova.

To her utter disgust, he was standing right next to a younger-looking Professor Hojo…the "mean man" from Aerith's early childhood. She could still remember with satisfaction the day that he had ordered her mother to be put in the mako tank, when Aerith had grabbed his hand and bitten down as hard as she could. She remembered her mother telling her when she was even smaller to use her teeth if _anyone_ were to ever try to hurt her…or do anything to her that felt uncomfortable.

It was years later, when the boys in tow had started to notice Aerith's changing body(along with all of the other girls), that she finally understood what her mother had meant by that last part. She had put one fresh youngster who had tried to kiss in a painful armbar, which had made her stepfather proud as a peacock. That understanding, however, had not only made the then-fifteen-year-old physically ill, but also thankful that she had escaped that hellhole.

Suddenly, she grabbed Carlie and pulled the younger girl into a tight hug, thankful that she would have a much more innocent childhood.

"Uh…" Her sister looked utterly confused. "You okay?"

"Just having a little too much time to think," Aerith murmured. She then let Carlie go.

Carlie stared at her half-sister. She knew Aerith had been through something bad when she was little. Neither she nor Cassius knew the details, but they knew it involved their old family friend Sephiroth. When they had asked their mother for details, she shook her head no and told them she would explain when they were older.

"Is this about whatever happened before I was born?" Carlie asked.

"Let's talk about happy things," Aerith suggested with a smile.

"Are you _ever_ gonna tell me what happened before Mom and Dad got married?" Carlie asked, clearly annoyed, "Before Daddy adopted you?"

Aerith frowned. "That's up to Mom," she answered.

"That guy with the sunglasses..." said Carlie, "…the same ones you wear. You don't let anyone try them on. You have a drawing of that guy framed on the shelf above your bed. I'm not stupid, Aerith. He's your real father…isn't he?"

Aerith had stopped walking as she raised her hand to her face, softly touching the side of her shades. "You figured that out, huh?" she said softly.

"Mom doesn't think I'm ready to know the details," Carlie told her. Aerith could see the frustration in her normally warm brown eyes.

"Mom will kill me if I have that conversation with you instead of her," said Aerith, "And I think she wants to have it with both you and Cassius when the time comes. What does he know about any of this?"

Carlie shook her head. "Nothing. You know him. He's dense about anything that doesn't have to do with martial arts. Deneh always says that girls mature faster than boys, and it's true- whether you're human, Cetra, or a fire-cat."

"I'll talk to Mom about it," Aerith promised her, "Now can we please talk about something pleasant?"

"_You're_ the one who started acting weird," Carlie pointed out as she walked into the walkway. Aerith followed her.

"How's the practicing going?" Aerith asked, "You're going to sing at the solstice celebration, right? What song did you pick?"

Despite being annoyed with her sister for changing the subject, Carlie couldn't help the mischievous look in her eyes. "That's a secret," she said, smirking.

"Have I at least heard the song before?" Aerith asked.

Carlie shrugged. "How am I supposed to know which songs you've heard and haven't heard? Mom always said the Cetra aren't mind-readers."

The two girls stopped at the back door to Cosmo Canyon's recreational center.

"Have fun," Aerith said as she waved goodbye to her little sister.

Carlie nodded. "I hope everything turns out to be fine. Maybe there's a hiccup in the postal system and you'll get _two _letters on Monday."

Aerith smiled. "Thanks, kiddo."

Carlie smiled back as she opened the door and walked inside.

Aerith continued walking for ten more minutes until she finally arrived at the large underground cavern that housed Cosmo Canyon's massive library. She stepped inside and then looked around. Thanks to the people preparing for the summer solstice festival, the place was nearly empty. The only people who were already there were the librarian, and a familiar-looking young woman wearing a tattered grey cloak over a green and purple outfit. She sat hunched over a large book, her brow furrowed as she was clearly engrossed by whatever she was reading. When Aerith made her way over to her, she glanced up and smiled in greeting.

"Hi, Elfé," Aerith said as she sat down at a nearby terminal and activated the search engine.

"What's wrong?" the woman asked, noting the worried look on Aerith's face.

"Sephiroth hasn't written to us in a while," Aerith told her.

Elfé looked surprised. "Really? I thought you all wrote each other like clockwork."

"We do," said Aerith, "That's why I'm worried. I know Mideel's prone to hurricanes, so I'm checking the news to see if anything like that has happened. At least, that's what happened the last time we didn't receive letters from him. A big storm wiped out half of the outgoing mail."

"Hurricanes are usually at the top of the news feed," Elfé remarked, "and I just finished checking the news a few minutes ago."

Elfé stood and watched as Aerith opened up the search engine and entered "Gaian Temple".

"I've started thinking about maybe joining Avalanche," the demi-Cetra announced. She glanced up at Elfé to see her friend's reaction. To her surprise, the swordswoman was smiling, as if amused.

"That ought to make for an interesting family discussion during dinner once Barnabas finds out," she quipped.

"I know my dad's going to be against it," Aerith acknowledged, "He's happy to have the family under Avalanche's protection, but I don't think he counted on any of his kids actually joining."

"You're damn right he's going to be against it," said Elfé, "No one that takes part in something dangerous like that ever wants their children to follow in their footsteps. Usually, they do what they do so that their children have safer options. Doesn't matter that you two aren't actually related. Family is family."

"What about Master Terrato?" Aerith asked as she turned away from the computer and looked at her friend, "Isn't he like a father to you? You aren't just in Avalanche- you help him run it."

"Do you see him sending me over to Wutai with the majority of the active fighters?" Elfé pointed out, "No. I help him with the organizing and logistical aspects. Sometimes I also relay sensitive information that can only be given in person. Over his dead body would he see me actually going into battle, even if I still had the power of that materia giving me strength."

"Do you ever miss that?" Aerith asked, "The power."

Elfé shook her head vehemently. "No. I was sleep-walking through life with that thing in my body. I've been told I had no personality during that time. That's not exactly going to get a person anywhere in life. Look at you- everyone loves you. Even without the materia, I'll never have your charisma."

Aerith blushed at the compliment and shook her head. "That's not exactly true. I've been told to my face by some people, that my 'sunny personality' makes them sick."

Elfé shrugged indifferently. "Okay, so maybe a few assholes don't like you. Whatever. You'd be good for the group's morale."

"What, like a cheerleader?" Aerith laughed. She then turned back to the computer and began checking the search results.

* * *

"You're absolutely sure?" Barnabas asked, staring at his wife, "It was _the planet itself_ that warned Aerith?"

They stood in the kitchen, discussing what had happened last night. Cassius had gone to play with a friend, and Gabe was playing in the living room.

"The last time the planet sent me a warning…" Ifalna paused and heaved a sigh, "…it was only a few days before my life became a living hell. I know what the planet's warnings are like."

Barnabas closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. After eleven years of marriage, he knew all of the details: the death of Ifalna's first husband, the five years of captivity, and all of the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Shinra's many scientists, soldiers and other employees.

"For twelve years, it's been wonderful…" Ifalna said as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "I've been free to do whatever I wanted. I met you, and we started a family. I watched my oldest child grow accustomed to the world, and now she embraces it. She's even been able to travel outside of the canyon, even though I worried about her every day. I see my other three children enjoying life the way the should be allowed to, and I'm thankful that Aerith was never permanently damaged by the first five years of her life…not the way Sephiroth was. Even he seems much better. But now…I can't help but wonder if he has anything to do with this shared nightmare my children and I had last night."

"I won't let anything happen to you, or our kids," Barnabas promised as he took his wife's hand and pressed his lips to it.

"That's what-," Ifalna began.

"I know that's what your first husband said the day he was killed," Barnabas interrupted, "But it's not just me. You've got Avalanche looking out for you, and the rest of our family. Hell- the entire canyon. We haven't forgotten, or forgiven them taking Shuroya and Kimu. It _will_ take a war for them to get their hands on you, our kids, or anyone else here. We'll see it coming, if Shinra tries anything. I'll get us out of here long before they get to you. You've lost one husband…I promise you won't lose me."

Ifalna abruptly took her husband's face in her hands, and kissed him fiercely as she forced back tears.

"Well!" Barnabas chuckled as soon as they broke the kiss, "Someone's a little tiger, huh?"

Ifalna then poked the man's nose with her finger playfully.

"Over twelve hours until it's safe to continue…" Barnabas lamented, looking at the clock. Four kids made daytime romps impossible between the two of them, especially with a three-year-old that was always at home with them.

As if to prove his point, Gabe walked into the room and smiled at his parents, completely unaware of the sexual tension between them.

"We could always nail his pants to the roof and use him as a weathervane while we…" Barnabas joked suggestively.

"Oh- you…!" Ifalna burst out laughing.

"Seriously, Gabe," Barnabas said as he picked his son up, "We gotta find you some play-dates. Then we all win. You get to play, your little friend gets to play, Mommy and Daddy get to play…"

He reached with his free hand, trying to grab his wife's behind, at an angle from which Gabe could not see. She shrieked and slapped his hand away, but she didn't stop smiling.

"Silly," Gabe said as he pointed at both of his parents.

"And what's wrong with that?" Barnabas asked as he bared his teeth, playfully biting at his son's nose.

"No, Daddy!" Gabe said, squirming and turning his head away.

"No, where's that nose?" Barnabas asked with mock-sternness, "I want that nose!"

Gabe giggled loudly as he flailed his arms, keeping his father from biting at his face. Ifalna smiled, her worries put aside for the time being.

* * *

"He's a tough guy," Elfé said reassuringly, "I'm sure nothing bad has happened to him."

Aerith didn't respond.

The two of them sat in the Geomancer's Grotto. Aerith had become disheartened upon not finding any leads. While Elfé had pointed out that no news was good news, not knowing anything was clearly getting to the demi-Cetra.

"Does the temple have a telephone you can call?" Elfé asked.

"I don't know," said Aerith, "They don't try to live in total seclusion like other monasteries, so it's possible. We never communicated by phone, though. My dad's the only one of us that has a phone, and that's for Avalanche business. I don't even know if Seph has a phone himself. It would make sense considering the work he does. I was at the Gold Saucer on that stupid class field trip last year when he made that surprise visit to sell that apple juice…"

"Don't start ranting about that again," Elfé groaned, "You drove everyone crazy with your griping when you missed out on seeing him."

"He means a lot to me!" Aerith argued, "And what's worse is that I haven't seen him since I was thirteen! I miss him, and I just want to know that he's okay!"

"Relax," Elfé said as she put an arm around the younger girl's shoulder, "Look- why don't we go back to the library, and find out if you can call Sephiroth. It's worth a shot, right?"

Aerith hesitated, and then nodded.

"Okay," the older girl said as she stood up, "Let's go, then."

Aerith stood up, and followed Elfé out of the grotto.

* * *

Barnabas gently closed the door to Gabe's room, and then silent made his way over to Ifalna, who stood at the end of the hallway.

"He's fast asleep," he informed her quietly.

"Your playtime sessions really wear him out," Ifalna remarked, impressed.

"Wear _him_ out?" Barnabas scratched his head thoughtfully, "I have to wonder…sometimes it's the other way around. Didn't used to be like that, but I guess I'm getting old."

"How are things in Wutai?" Ifalna asked suddenly.

"Promising," Barnabas answered, "I think the tides are turning in our favor, but who knows what Shinra might have up their sleeve? For all we know, that could be part of what Aerith was being warned about."

"It really could be anything," Ifalna sadly agreed. She looked at the floor, and back at her husband again. "Barnabas…if Wutai wins the war, what's to stop the Shinra from coming after Cosmo Canyon? We're a melting pot of very special people, and if they could get the tools they needed to drill through Nibelheim's rocky terrain and build a reactor there…they could do it here, and look for 'specimens' for the lab." There was fear in her eyes now as she added: "They would certainly find them here."

"No," Barnabas corrected her, "They'd be too weak after losing a war; both the army and the company itself. Not to mention they'd have a lot less public support. Shinra gets away with what they do by pretending to be a democracy and convincing the people that they _want_ what they're forcing on them. They can't be openly fascist without risking a riot. The people in the slums may not have fancy weapons, but there's a LOT of them living there. It'd be a giant pain in the ass to stop such a riot. Shinra are a bunch of lying shmucks, but they're not stupid."

"Okay." Ifalna was comforted by her husband's reasoning.

"Still," Barnabas looked thoughtful, "What's going to happen next? I mean, with Aerith and this 'holy mission'. You're right about what you said earlier- that Aerith crossing paths with the Shinra…god, that gives me the creeps."

"It's inevitable," Ifalna pointed out, "The Jenova Project has Shinra permanently linked with the 'Calamity from the skies'."

The two were silent for a moment. Then, Barnabas spoke again:

"We don't know when the planet will speak with Aerith next. It may be a while before she has to set off anywhere. I'll do what I can, but maybe…" Barnabas hesitated, and then continued: "Maybe we should have Aerith start spending time with some of Avalanche's members. They can start explaining things to her…and help train her."

Ifalna laughed. "What makes you think she hasn't already started doing that on her own already?"

"Touche," Barnabas acknowledged, "I'll bring it up at today's meeting."

* * *

"At least he's not hurt…" Elfé said hopefully.

Aerith nodded as she stared at the fountain in front of her. The two of them were back in the Geomancer's Grotto.

Elfé had allowed Aerith to use her own PHS to contact the monastery, where she ended up playing phone tag for the rest of the afternoon. The older girl hadn't minded spending the day with Aerith as they waited. They killed time by sparring: both empty-handed and with weapons. Elfé's sword still beat out Aerith's staff, but the two young women were becoming more close-matched. When they weren't doing that, they talked, or rather, Aerith did most of the talking. Elfé was never one to take the lead in any conversation.

Finally, only a few minutes ago, the Grand Abbot had called Elfé's phone, and had spoken with Aerith. He had explained to her that Sephiroth had taken a sudden leave of absence last week. This was after bringing his friend Genesis to see the healers of the temple. The young man in question had grown sick, and ordinary doctors were unable to find the cause, much less a cure. Sephiroth had filled out the necessary paperwork, packed a few things, and left with his friend.

"I think I have an idea of where they might be," said Aerith.

"Where?" Elfé asked.

Aerith turned and smiled at the older girl. "When no one was able to find out what was making you sick all those years ago, who was it that figured out in less than a day what was wrong with you? Who saved Master Terrato when he had that heart attack three years ago?"

Elfé's eyes widened as it dawned on her. "Of course…!"

Aerith's smile brightened. "I'll bet anything he's coming here, Elfé. After four years, I'll finally get to see Sephiroth. And this time, it won't just be my mother who helps him. I'm going to do everything in my power as well to help his friend. After all…I owe Seph more than one could imagine."

Her mind flashed back to the image of her mother dying on the train platform…the one image she could not bring herself to tell Ifalna about.

"Four years…" Elfé mused, "What will you do when you see him?"

Aerith shook her head. "Hard to say."

"Well…" Elfé said as she stood up, "I'll leave you to think about it. I have matters to discuss with Master Terrato, and probably Barnabas."

"Will you put in a good word for me?" Aerith asked.

"I'll do what I can," Elfé answered, "But it'll be difficult to convince him to be okay with it. And Avalanche is an organization that can't afford to have disagreements within its ranks. But I'll give it a shot."

"Thanks, Elfé," Aerith said with a smile, "It's all I ask."

Elfé nodded as she left.

Aerith continued to sit and stare off into space, and occupy her thoughts with a certain silver-haired swordsman in monk garb.

* * *

A/N: If any players of "Before Crisis" find Elfé to be OOC, this is the personality I imagined she'd have without the Zirconiade materia draining her of her strength.

She was barely able to keep it together with her sickness, and her personality seemed to suffer the most. When she regressed upon gaining her memories, it seemed clear that her younger self did have a personality once. Plus, thanks to Ifalna not having died, she was able to keep Master Terrato alive as well. Therefore, Elfé does not have the burden of being Avalanche's leader. Even if Terrato was gone, Barnabas would probably have been put in charge instead, since Elfé isn't as strong as she was in canon.

Plus, being friends with Aerith would soften anyone's heart a bit. Just look at Seph. ;) Speaking of whom, we'll get to him fairly soon.


	13. Chapter 2: Infinite In Mystery

A/N: Get ready for some serious UST(unresolved sexual tension) between Aerith and Sephiroth, starting toward the end of this chapter. Don't ask me when it will be resolved. Sometime during the story, where it will officially earn its "M" rating.

Shout-outs:

Sephiroth Crescent-Valentine: Of course he'll be! Just not a SOLDIER.

Greatazuredragon: I've only seen(and enjoyed) one other "What if Ifalna had lived?" story(as opposed to the dozens of "What if Zack had lived?" stories that only tripled after Crisis Core came out). I'm glad you're liking the direction. If the ghost of a half-Cetra can cure an entire planet of a plague(Geostigma), think of what a living purebred Cetra could do for Genesis. It'll add some interesting interpretations to "Loveless", I'm sure. ;)

mistgun4: Ifalna will have some very interesting things to report once she gets a look at Genesis.

badnephilim: I never got to play it either, but Youtube has playthroughs of the game.

Ardwynna Morrigu: They've got a lot of catching up to do, given how much Aerith has grown up. ;)

faunalind: Yeah, it needs all the help it can get, even from a cute little three-year-old.

catxangel: It's getting a little harder to write each chapter given how much research goes into the games. Once upon a time, you only needed to know FF7 inside and out to write a good story. In my case, it's the two prequels and FF7. Although when the time comes, Dirge will be important too. I can't see how this timeline would eliminate Deepground, especially since Shinra would need them more. No Sephiroth, no Angeal, and no Genesis, means no super-powered forces of nature. Alas, I've only got so much spare time before my layoff from work ends.

JazzQueen: I figure without Sephiroth or our Banora duo, Wutai would be more evenly-matched in a war. They were able to put up a good fight for years in canon as it was. With the Jenova Project being an utter failure, things might not look so good for the Shinra. However, it may be a while before they really try to pull out all the stops.

* * *

Chapter 2: Infinite In Mystery

"I'm pretty sure that this kind of travel isn't conducive to my already fragile health," Genesis complained after Angeal's truck lurched upwards and immediately back down, after rolling over what seemed to be the umpteenth rock. He shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat.

"_I'm_ pretty sure it's not conducive to my truck's already fragile health either," Angeal said with a grimace as he tried to steer the vehicle carefully through the rough terrain, "Seph- how much further do you think it'll be before we arrive?"

"We'll probably arrive sometime tomorrow," Sephiroth answered, "Either morning or early afternoon, barring any mechanical emergencies. Then we'll have to run very fast, after we figure out who _isn't_ going to carry Genesis on their back."

"I love you too, Sephiroth," Genesis said sarcastically, "I really hope this lady-friend of yours knows what she's doing. I can't tell you how disappointing it'll be if we came all the way out here for nothing."

"I believe in her," Sephiroth said, not for the first time.

"We've been your best friends for the past twelve years and only last week do you tell us the truth about your friends," Genesis griped.

"At least he's trying to help," Angeal defended Sephiroth. "Although, I'm curious as to why you didn't contact them about Genesis before we left. What if they're away on some family vacation?"

"They plan their vacations months in advance," Sephiroth explained, "If they were planning one, it would be in their letters. They'll be home. I also try to be careful about what I write in my letters. If anything, I'm even more wary about Shinra spying on the postal system than I was when I was younger. But I still trust 'snail mail' more than the Worldwide Network in any case."

"Yes, I suppose I can see how 'Dear last living Ancients: please save my friend from a mystery illness that Shinra would love to poke and prod at' would be a bit risky," Genesis quipped.

The past two months had been terrible, to say the least. Genesis' wound from the trio's sparring match in the jungle had never healed. What was worse was that there was now infections happening in the afflicted area. Doctors had not been able to diagnose the problem. The monks had not been able to figure out what was wrong either.

It wasn't until Genesis' hair began turning grey prematurely in some areas, that Sephiroth told them the truth about the friends he wrote to constantly, and would visit every couple years or so. He applied for, and was granted, a leave of absence from the temple. Genesis' parents, also worried for their son, financed not only a boat trip, but paid for Angeal's truck to be stored on the ship that took them all the way to the western continent. They might have bought a brand-new vehicle for the young men to drive around in, had anyone been aware of just how delicate Angeal's truck had turned out to be.

"Hey, Seph," Genesis turned to look through the rear window.

"Hmm?"

"What's in the bag?"

Sephiroth smiled as he placed his hand on the burlap sack in his lap. "Presents."

"For me? Aw, you shouldn't have," Genesis chuckled.

"Glad to see you still have a sense of humor," Sephiroth quipped. "I doubt you have any use for a wooden ocarina, Earth materia, a pair of nunchucks, a stuffed chocobo, and a case of Banora White Liqueur."

"I beg to differ on that last item," Genesis remarked.

Sephiroth ignored him and slid down, lying flat on his back while Angeal continued to drive. A few minutes later, he felt the vehicle slow down.

"What's going on?" he asked as he sat up and tried to look through the rear window. The glare of the sunlight against the windshield prevented him from seeing what was ahead of them.

"SOLDIER," Angeal said, "Looks like a checkpoint. What should we do?"

"Keep driving," Sephiroth told him, "It'll only look suspicious if we turn around."

"I guess it's a good thing you went through with that dye-job," Genesis commented with a wry smile.

"That's the idea," Sephiroth said as he ran his hand through his temporarily jet-black hair. "This washes out after a few showers."

Angeal pulled up to the checkpoint.

"Good morning," he said amiably.

"Driver's license and registration, please," a 1st Class soldier said.

Genesis reached into the glove compartment and pulled out Angeal's registration paper, handing it to Angeal, who took out his wallet and pulled out his license. He then handed both documents to the young man outside, who ran them through a hand-held verification scanner.

He nodded. "Checks out. Now get out while we search the vehicle."

"You've got to be kidding…" Genesis complained as he and the others exited the vehicle.

"Don't mind our friend," Angeal said as he guided Genesis away from the truck, "He's a little under the weather."

One 2nd Class searched the front seats, while another checked the truck bed. The latter opened Sephiroth's bag and began rifling through his things.

"Cute," he said mockingly as he held up the stuffed chocobo.

Sephiroth held his tongue.

The 1st class soldier finished checking the front seats. He then began checking Angeal and Genesis' belongings, which were also in the truck bed along with Sephiroth's things. "The Rhapsodos Company…what's that?" he asked, holding up a business card from Genesis' bag.

"Those are the people that make Banora White apple juice, sir," another 2nd Class answered before Genesis could speak. "My kid sister practically lives off that stuff."

"They make Dumb-apple booze as well?" another soldier asked as he lifted a bottle of the liqueur from the case.

"Oh, sweet!" the 1st Class exclaimed. He handed the bag back to Genesis and went over to look at the bottles. "Let's see…we can't take the whole case or we'll get caught for sure, but…" He pulled one more bottle out. "This plus the one Lawson just grabbed should do it. Two bottles outta make this a fun night without having to worry about the next day."

The rest of the group erupted into cheers.

"You're the best commanding officer ever, sir!"

"I love my job!"

"Best fucking perks ever!"

"You're going to let them make off with those?" Genesis whispered to Sephiroth.

"We'll still have four left to give out when we arrive," Sephiroth answered quietly, "I'm not going to fight every single injustice, Genesis. Had you joined SOLDIER like you originally wanted to, you would have learned the hard way not to do that."

"You may pass," the SOLDIER in charge called out to the trio as he and his subordinates made their way back to the camp.

"Thank you, sir," Angeal said politely as he and the others got back inside his truck.

"'Sir'?" Genesis scoffed.

"A little courtesy goes a long way," Angeal said patiently as he started the engine.

Genesis rolled his eyes as the truck began moving forward. He then leaned against the window and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Oh come on!" one of the soldiers whined as he shoved a cup of the makeshift mixed-drink into his fellow soldier's face, "Just a taste!"

The dark-haired young man shook his head vehemently. "Not me. You're the ones who get to relax while Kunsel, Luxiere and I are on watch tonight."

"Sir, we've got some insubordinate pussies!" the soldier complained to the 1st Class soldier, who was downing another shot from the small paper cup he used in lieu of a shot glass.

"Let 'em be," said their commanding officer, "This stuff wasn't for getting shit-faced with, otherwise I'd have taken the entire case."

Zack turned away so nobody would see his irritated expression. This guy was a terrible role model! Stealing booze from travelers? They hadn't even finished their search! What if those men had been terrorists and had a bomb? He had heard about the resistance group Avalanche and the trouble they were causing in Wutai. Surely there could be members lurking around elsewhere.

"Time for you to start your watch, anyway," said the commanding officer, "I think your friends are already outside. Better get a move on."

Zack stood up, saluted his superior officer, and left the tent, all-too-glad to be rid of the man.

"Hey, there he is," Kunsel said cheerily as Zack approached his two friends.

"They smashed already?" Luxiere asked, chuckling.

"It's not funny," said Zack, "What if some kind of emergency happens? Even if they're just buzzed, it'll inhibit their ability if we need to do battle."

"Don't worry about it," said Luxiere, "Seriously, I think we're fine. This area's not known for monsters roaming about, and if any enemies are around, we'll hear about it on the radio unit long before they make it here. Buzzed or not, we'll dispatch anyone. I hope you're not thinking of snitching."

Zack sighed. "No. What good would it do? If word got back to them that I was the one who ratted them out, I'm a dead man."

"Hey, at least you're not alone in this," Kunsel said reassuringly. "It would suck if you were the only sober guy in the unit."

"And it's only one more week," Luxiere added. "Then the assignment ends and we go back to Midgar. I'm just glad we weren't in Wutai. They're really doing a number on us."

"Yeah, but according to the news, you wouldn't think so," Kunsel chuckled.

"Let's not talk about the Wutai War," Zack suggested.

"Fair enough," said Luxiere. "Wanna play cards?"

"I left my deck inside the tent," said Kunsel, "and since we can't leave our post, we're S.O.L."

"Ah, damn…" Luxiere grumbled.

The three 2nd Class soldiers were silent for a moment. Luxiere picked up a few pebbles and began tossing them absently. Kunsel paced back and forth, while Zack took out his sword and began practicing a few swings and thrusts.

"Hey, Zack?" Kunsel spoke up.

Zack lowered his sword and turned to face his friend. "Yeah?"

"Why'd you join the army?" he asked. "You know, we've been pals for a few years now, but I realize now that I never asked you. You know why I joined, so why not even things out a bit?"

Zack grinned and sheathed his sword. "Story-time, huh? I guess I could think of worse ways to pass the time. All right, then:

"I was always fascinated with the idea of being a hero. But it seems like the army is really the only way to make that happen. I mean, I guess I could be a bounty hunter and kill monsters, but that's so small-scale. I wanna be remembered when I'm gone. Who's going to remember some farmer from Gongaga? Because that's what I'd be if I had just stayed there instead of leaving home. I couldn't stay, though. When I turned thirteen, I was practically climbing the walls.

"Still, I'd say that the first time I ever entertained the idea of being a soldier was when I was about six. That was actually before the SOLDIER program even started…though not that long before. That was the year that the reactor was built in Gongaga. I didn't live too far from the building site either, so I was always seeing these young guys from the army guarding the construction site. From trouble-makers, monsters, whatever. This was back when you had to be eighteen to join. But there was this one kid who was younger. I mean, to me, he still seemed so much older, but I remember his voice hadn't even finished changing yet, so he obviously was younger than the other soldiers. I'm not sure what his deal was."

Kunsel leaned forward, suddenly very interested in what Zack was saying.

"One day, my parents were at an emergency town meeting. It didn't have anything to do with the reactor, but anyway, this girl who was the daughter of my mom's best friend was babysitting me. And well, back then, I was a little hell-raiser. I managed to get her to chase me all the way to the building site. Yeah, I know, it was really stupid. Especially when some huge piece of whatever fell off and nearly squished me. That kid I mentioned, though…came zipping out of nowhere and caught the thing." Zack began to chuckle. "Man, I started _bawling…_that was nothing compared to when the sitter told my parents. My dad ended up spanking me pretty good."

"What did this 'boy wonder' look like?" Kunsel asked curiously.

"Man, I'll never forget…" Zack said, squinting as if he were picturing his savior right then and there. "He had kind of longish hair, but it was silver. Like actually silver- not grey or white. He also had mako eyes…the first time I'd seen them. Honestly, it's as if he were some kind of SOLDIER prototype. In about a year, there were tons of kids like him joining up once the program opened up. But I've never seen that guy since. I've asked a couple of my commanding officers, but they all joined after SOLDIER began and they never heard of him."

"Interesting…" Kunsel mused, a sly, knowing grin spreading across his face. "…I mean everything…but especially the part about your not having known any commanding officers that joined SOLDIER before 1991. I happen to know a guy…ex-SOLDIER, though. He left in 1990, after having served for seven years. Funny, huh?"

Zack's eyes widened. "And…?"

"Well, he has some memory problems," said Kunsel, "They started when he got maimed in that terrorist attack on Shinra Headquarters twelve years ago. That's why he got discharged. His leg was sliced off, most likely by one of the terrorists. Doctor said the wound was consistent with a sword. Maybe he hit his head too, because he doesn't remember a lot of his assignments…except one: two months supervising a unit…in Gongaga while the reactor was being built."

"Are you serious?!" Zack laughed, "Wow! That's one hell of a coincidence! And the kid I mentioned…?"

"He couldn't remember the boy's name, but what you said about him being a prototype is true. He was only thirteen years old, which we all know is the new minimum age to join up. He had a really long sword…longer than he was tall. And yes- silver hair and the very first pair of mako eyes…well, in SOLDIER, anyway. I've also heard they did mako testing for a good several years before SOLDIER started. Something to do with a guy accidentally getting drenched with mako and suddenly developing abnormal strength. If that accident had never happened, it's possible we'd all be at our senior proms."

"Man, you really do know everything that goes on at Shinra, don't you?" Luxiere said admiringly.

"I just know the right people is all," Kunsel said modestly.

"How do you know this guy?" Zack asked.

"Oh, back when I first joined up, I was assigned to work in the veterans' building," Kunsel explained, "My job was to hand out disability paychecks to medically discharged ex-soldiers. Now,some people who come are really bitter. They just want you to shut up and give them their checks so they can run off to the bar or whatever. Not this guy. He's the nicest fellow you could meet. Sometimes he'd come in with his two boys. Really well-behaved kids. He says their mother enforced good manners. I guess she's the main breadwinner, and he takes care of the kids. Says he wouldn't have it any other way, and that his life is perfect. Can you imagine that? He's missing a leg, and can't remember half of his career, but says his life is perfect."

"Sometimes you meet people that just seem too good for this world," Zack said, smiling. "Did he have any other interesting stories?"

"Uh…well, one," Kunsel recalled, "He only has one other memory of the kid you mentioned. Most of his job revolved around guarding the 68th floor of the Shinra building, which is where the Science Department is. He was on his way home for the day, and he remembered passing by the common room and seeing the kid playing with a little girl. The kid was chasing her, then he grabbed her and started tickling her. He says he used to see the girl a lot, and that he always felt sorry for her. Of course, he can't remember _why_.

"But one day, he invited me over to have dinner with his family. They live over in Sector Five, and in a pretty nice house too. It's near a skylight and a man-made waterfall. He says the sound of the water rushing lulls him to sleep every night. Then there's a little clubhouse for the boys in the back yard…if you can really call it that. It's just a couple round platforms with dirt covering them."

"Looks like you found a family away from home to adopt you," Zack said, feeling a little jealous.

"I guess," Kunsel chuckled, "Every time I'm back in Midgar, I go over their house for Sunday dinner. I don't even have to call ahead. They just expect the possibility of my showing up every week. Really good food too. Lasagna, and the pot roast…hell, all the food is good. He and his wife take turns cooking. He does the lasagna, she does the pot roast, and so on."

"Man, you're making me _really_ hungry right now!" Zack whined.

"Any chance they might feed us if you were to bring us along?" Luxiere asked hopefully.

"What, and wear out my welcome by bringing you slobs?" Kunsel laughed, "No way! I got a good thing going here and I'm not gonna ruin it!"

"Wow, that's cold," Luxiere complained.

"So did this guy know what happened to the silver-haired kid after he was discharged?" Zack asked.

Kunsel shook his head. "Nope. I told you everything I know."

"Hmm." Zack sat down, staring thoughtfully ahead at the horizon.

"'Oh, how will I ever find my silver-haired knight-in-shining-armor now?'" Luxiere said in a high-pitched falsetto, teasing his friend.

"Screw you," Zack laughed.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Kunsel reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "Guess I didn't leave them in the tent after all!"

"All right!" Zack exclaimed.

"Gather 'round, boys," Kunsel said as he began shuffling the cards, "Five-card draw, deuces wild sound good to you?"

"Deal me in," said Zack.

"Me too," added Luxiere.

"Let's do it," Kunsel said as he began to deal the cards.

* * *

The sun was at its highest point in the sky when the ANSMA's doors opened and about two-dozen teenagers wearing rash guards poured out of the building. The Saturday morning Ground Jiu-Jitsu class had just ended, and its students were all looking forward to jumping in their showers to wash away the sweat from their two-hour long workout..

"God, this was too much today," one of the teens complained as a small group of students, including Aerith, walked through the tunnels together. They were on their way to the Ice Palace to cool off.

"This heat wave is really something else," Aerith agreed.

The group entered the Geomancer's Grotto. Suddenly, one boy's eyes gleamed with mischief. He ran up to the fountain and took off his shoes, jumping in.

"Are you nuts?!" one girl laughed.

"The heat…" he groaned, as if he were a zombie, "Need…water…!"

He dipped his hands in the water and poured it on his head.

"I think he's onto something," Aerith giggled as she kicked off her sandals and went over to the fountain. She stepped in, joining her friend. "_Wow_, that's cold!"

"That was a pretty slick move you used in class," the boy commented, "What was that, anyway? You stepped in from the right, and…?"

He tried to copy Aerith's footwork from class earlier.

"No, it was from _my_ right, not yours..." Aerith corrected him as she demonstrated by stepping forward. Her foot slipped on the smooth bottom of the pool, however, and down she went with a huge splash.

"Really?" one girl complained, having been hit by the water.

"Oh, shit!" the boy laughed, "Are you okay, Aerith?"

"Great Shiva, that's _really_ cold!" Aerith shrieked as she floundered around in the shallow water.

"Here, let me help you," the boy extended his hand.

Aerith took it and closed her eyes, so he wouldn't see the sly look they held. She then yanked the boy down next to her, soaking him as more water flew out of the fountain, this time hitting everyone else.

"Hey!"

"That's my best rash-guard you just soaked!"

"Oh, th-think you're so c-clever!" the boy said, shivering as he drove the water into Aerith's face.

Aerith, now accustomed to the cold temperature, began splashing back.

"Get her!" one of the girls in the group shouted as everyone else removed their shoes and jumped in.

* * *

Aerith was still soaked to the skin when her house finally came into view. Ten minutes of walking in the hot sun had not even come close to drying her off. The short-sleeved rash guard she wore clung to her even more than the tight garment normally did. She looked down, and could see her nipples poking out from behind the wet fabric. Grumbling, she covered her chest with her arms.

Needless to say, the trip to the Ice Palace had been called off. The group of teenagers would have all caught pneumonia if they had gone to the air-conditioned frozen treats establishment while soaked from the fountain's icy waters.

She continued to walk over to her house, when she noticed the strange truck parked out to the side where the grass ended. Wondering what was going on, she began jogging, eager to find out who was at the house. Many Avalanche members drove vehicles. She wondered if this had anything to do with the Wutai War.

Aerith was only about ten feet away from the front door when it opened, and none other than Sephiroth stepped out. He noticed her, and stopped where he was, staring at her. Suddenly, she became very self-conscious.

"Hi, Seph…!" she said, looking embarrassed, "Uh…I'd hug you, but I don't want to get your clothes wet."

"What happened?" Sephiroth asked, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Seph- what's the hold-up?" Angeal asked from behind. Sephiroth glanced backward and moved off to the side, allowing his friend to pass. "Hello," he said with a smile, "You must be Aerith. Sephiroth's told me about you over the years."

"You don't seem very surprised to see me," Sephiroth remarked.

Aerith smiled at her own cleverness, despite being self-conscious over her soaked appearance. "Nope. I called the temple when you didn't write, and when they told me about your sick friend, I figured you'd be on your way here to see my mother." She looked at Angeal. "Is this him?"

"No," Angeal said, shaking his head, "Not me. That would be Genesis, who your mom is taking a look at right now. My name's Angeal." He offered his hand to Aerith.

"Angeal Hewley," Aerith said as she smiled and shook the man's hand, "It's so nice to finally meet you. Sephiroth's mentioned both you and Genesis in his letters, and when he visited."

She then looked at Sephiroth, who managed to lift his eyes up from her body to her face just in time. "How is he?"

"Grumpy," Angeal answered, "I guess I can't blame him. He's resting right now. Your mom is looking after him."

Aerith nodded understandingly. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I really should go change into something dry and untangle my hair before I wind up with dreadlocks. Be right back!"

Sephiroth watched her disappear into the house and shook his head, stunned.

"She's grown so much," he said, partly to himself.

"You said you hadn't seen her in four years, right?" Angeal said.

"Yes," Sephiroth answered, unable to get the image of Aerith in her soaked clothes out of his head. Her already tight pink and baby-blue rash guard clinging to her very visible form, the damp skin of her legs almost glowing in the sunlight…

He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he remembered that this wasn't just any girl. She was the daughter of one of the people he owed his sanity to. Ogling her like a common lecher was far from being an appropriate way to behave. If nothing more, she was only seventeen.

"Are you okay?" Angeal asked, looking at Sephiroth with a worried expression on his face. "You looked a bit panicky for a moment. That's not like you at all."

"I think the sun is playing tricks on your head," Sephiroth said dismissively.

Angeal looked doubtfully at Sephiroth, but then shrugged. "Fine. Should we go take a look at the truck?"

"You go on ahead," Sephiroth said, "I'm going to get a glass of water. You want any?"

Angeal nodded. "Sure." He went over to the truck and popped the hood.

Sephiroth went back inside, walking into the kitchen. The house had been deserted when they had arrived, save for Ifalna. Aerith had been at her lesson, and Barnabas had taken Gabe and the twins to visit with Bugenhagen. Ifalna had stayed behind, wishing to meditate. She had looked preoccupied as she received Sephiroth and the others, despite being delighted to see him as always. She had also been thrilled to finally meet his two best friends after hearing about them for so many years.

Sephiroth saw a bag of 16-ounce plastic cups. He took two of them out, and went over to the sink. His sensitive ears could pick up Ifalna moving around in the living room, and Genesis snoring softly. He then turned the faucet, running his hand underneath the water until it was cold enough to his satisfaction. As he began filling the first cup, he heard footsteps and turned his head in their direction.

Aerith walked into the kitchen, having changed out of her soaked rash guard and trunks, and had dried her hair. Not bothering to tie it back like she normally did, she kept running her hand through her loose locks absently. She now wore a flowing white V-neck halter-top, with dark red leggings that came down to her knees.

She looked absolutely exquisite, in Sephiroth's opinion.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

"Summons alive, you've grown up…" Sephiroth whispered, amazed.

He did not even realize the cup was overflowing until Aerith pointed silently at it, covering her mouth in a silent laugh. Quickly, he emptied it slight and set it aside.

"Kids do that, I hear," Aerith joked, her eyes gleaming playfully.

Sephiroth smiled as he filled the other glass. He had always looked forward to seeing Aerith during his sporadic trips to Cosmo Canyon. Indeed, he had concealed his disappointment the last time he visited upon finding out that the girl was at the Gold Saucer with her classmates. He still enjoyed catching up with Ifalna, getting to know Gabe(who he had never met before), and further acquainting himself with the twins. Cassius had tried again to lift Masamune, but it was all in vain. That still didn't stop the then-nine-year-old from vowing he would be able to swing it someday, even if he couldn't summon it. Sephiroth had enjoyed listening to Carlie playing her ocarina.

His memories were interrupted as he felt Aerith pressing up against him, throwing her arms around his waist and squeezing tightly. Suddenly, he was even more aware of how much the girl had grown up in the last four years.

"I missed you," she said.

"And I, you," Sephiroth replied as he returned the embrace, marveling silently at how soft her bare back was.

Aerith stepped back. "I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances."

Sephiroth nodded silently.

"I wanted to help my mom," Aerith explained, "But she shooed me away and told me to help you show Angeal around. Where is he?"

"Out front checking out his truck," Sephiroth told her, "It managed to hold off until we got to your house, but the reason it's parked in such a strange spot is that it died when we arrived."

"Hmm…" Aeris scratched her head thoughtfully, "Nine times out of ten when that happens around here, it's an overheated radiator. Was there a lot of steam coming out?"

"Yes," Sephiroth answered.

Aerith smiled brightly. "I think I've figured out the first place to show you guys."

"Oh?"

"One of Avalanche's members that lives here is their official mechanic," Aerith explained, "I can introduce you guys…if Angeal shows me how to drive that thing once it's fixed."

Sephiroth smirked at the idea of Aerith behind the wheel of an automobile. "All right," he said, "Let's go find him and see if he's open to such a deal. At least it's his truck you want to use and not his sword. That…he might not be so eager to share with you."

"I'm a staff user," Aerith said, indicating a wooden quarterstaff that was firmly held in place by a sheath strapped to her back.

"Ah, that's right, you did mention you were taking lessons in that. Let me see…"

He walked behind her and eyed the staff carefully. Somehow, his gaze managed to shift halfway down, until he caught himself admiring her bottom curves, very visible thanks to the form-fitting leggings she wore.

He snapped out of it once he saw Aerith reach behind and grab one end of the staff. Her other hand reached back and pressed a switch on the backplate where the sheath rested, causing its grip on the staff to open up. Sephiroth stepped out of the way as she whirled the staff to the front, turning around and immediately falling into a defensive stance.

"Good form…" he said, cursing himself silently for the double-entendre.

"Thanks," Aerith said happily, "Hey, I'm kind of thirsty too. Let me get you some ice for those drinks…"

Sephiroth closed his eyes as he felt her brush against him when she walked past, moving between him and the counter as she went to the freezer. She opened the door and took out a tray of ice cubes, hitting them against the counter and popping the cubes out, which she dropped into the two drinks. She then took out a cup for herself and filled it with the cold tap water. Once she put a few ice cubes in her cup, she put the tray away, and turned around.

"Do you have a phone?" she asked, "The mechanic is on this phone list." She took a sheet of paper off of the refrigerator and held it up.

"I do," Sephiroth said with a nod. "Perhaps once we call this person, we can go see Dr. Triton. I was hoping I could give her something I brought with me. And that reminds me…there's a gift waiting for you in the truck as well."

Aerith's face lit up instantly. She then grabbed the sword-wielding monk's arm excitedly and practically dragged him out the front door, while he tried not to spill the cups of ice water he held.

Sephiroth laughed to himself as he let himself be pulled by his childhood friend. Some things never changed.

* * *

"It just won't heal," Genesis said as he and Ifalna sat on the living room sofa. He had woken up a few minutes ago, and she was now taking a look at his arm. The would looked as fresh as it had been when he had first received it several weeks ago.

"Hmmm…" Ifalna said, steepling her fingers and pursing her lips together thoughtfully. "Normally I can heal without materia, but I do have one mastered Cure that I might need to use for something like this."

"No materia has been able to cure this," Genesis sighed.

"The materia will help, but I assure you I'll be doing most of the work," Ifalna said with a twinkle in her eye. She went over to the special kit she carried her things in. Opening it, she took out a green orb, leaving the kit open.

Genesis sat up taller so he could see inside. "Is that a..._white_ materia?" he asked, pointing at the kit.

"Ah, well, yes," Ifalna said as she sat back down next to Genesis. "That is, it's not really for use. I keep it with me when I go to work, though. Sort of a good-luck charm."

Genesis nodded as Ifalna closed her eyes and began to chant softly in a language Genesis could not recognize. She closed her eyes, holding the materia in her hand, rather than fitting it into an accessory such as a bracelet; or a weapon.

Suddenly, her entire body radiated with a green light. She reached out with her free hand, running it over the wound on Genesis' arm.

The young man gasped and closed his eyes as he felt an intensely cool and soothing sensation across his arm. When he opened his eyes, he saw the flesh rapidly knitting itself together. Just as the healing finished, Ifalna jumped up with a startled cry.

"You did it…!" Genesis whispered in amazement. He then looked up and saw the shocked expression on Ifalna's face. "What's wrong?"

"Jenova's children…" Ifalna whispered hoarsely. She began to look terrified. "It's already begun…"

"Ma'am, what's wrong?" Genesis asked again, his voice more insistent.

Ifalna collapsed into the chair that sat next to the sofa.

"Where do I even start…?" she said, shaking her head.

"I've got plenty of time for you to figure that out," Genesis told her. "Just start from the beginning."

"I can sense a lot of things," Ifalna began, "…It's hard to explain. I don't know how much Sephiroth told you about me."

"Virtually nothing until he decided to seek your help," said Genesis, "He says you're the last known Cetra."

Ifalna nodded. "Has Sephiroth ever told you about a being known as 'Jenova'…?"

* * *

"This is absolutely lovely, Sephiroth," Dr. Triton marveled as she looked over the bottle of Banora White Liqueur she held in her hands. "I'm only sorry that this is just my lunch break. My actual shift doesn't end for another six hours. Silly doctors' oath." She then chuckled. "That was a joke, in case you kids didn't know."

She sat at her desk in her office, while Sephiroth, Aerith and Angeal sat in the chairs across from her.

"Genesis went into business with a distillery from Gongaga," Angeal explained, "This is the final result."

"I'm so pleased to know you're doing well for yourself," the doctor said to Sephiroth. "Monster-hunting monk-for-hire, and distributor of Banora White apple juice."

"It's been a good life so far," Sephiroth remarked easily. "This problem with Genesis is the first real issue I've had to deal with in the last twelve years."

Dr. Triton nodded solemnly. "How many doctors has he been to see?"

"Every last one on Mideel," Angeal answered, "Even in the tiny backwoods villages. We've brought him to see healers, shamans, and they're all baffled. When Sephiroth told us that his oldest friend was actually the last living pure-blooded Cetra-,"

"That's still debatable," Sephiroth interjected, "Until she regains her memory, we'll never know for certain."

"How long can amnesia last?" Angeal asked.

"Nearly twenty years, in Ifalna's case," Dr. Triton replied, "I don't know if it's physical, mental, or maybe a bit of each."

"Why doesn't she re-trace her steps?" Angeal suggested.

Sephiroth stared at his friend, annoyed. "She didn't forget where she put her wallet."

"I mean, where was it that she lost her memory?" Angeal asked, unfazed.

"An abandoned city," Sephiroth told him. "She doesn't know how to get there. She was 'rescued' by Shinra archaeologists, and taken to Midgar by helicopter."

"How many abandoned cities are there in the world?" Angeal asked, "It's not as if it's in the area beyond the southern coasts. The raging storms make it impossible for anyone to go past there…unless she got there somehow and was injured getting through."

"She said she saw glaciers on the ride back," Sephiroth replied, "It would have been north."

"So why did she never try and look for the place?" Angeal asked.

"According to her, the planet told her it was time for her to concentrate on healing," Aerith answered. "You know Sephiroth's backstory. My mother's is the same...as is mine. I spent the first five years of my life living in a laboratory."

Angeal looked at Aerith with a subdued expression.

"Don't," Aerith warned him, "My mother and I hate it when people pity us. We're fine now. We've healed."

"Speaking of healing," Dr. Triton added, "I wouldn't worry about your friend. I don't know if Sephiroth told you about a young woman named Elfé, but she would have wasted away if Ifalna had not found the cause. Once she did so, the cure was easy."

"I hope that turns out to be the case here," Angeal sighed.

"Don't worry," Aerith reassured Angeal. "If my mom gets stuck, then I'll help her. I guess once a Cetra hits puberty, their abilities increase. My ability to grow things, and to heal injuries, well…you'll see eventually." She smiled, as if she were proud of herself.

Just then, Angeal's PHS rang. He took it out and looked at the caller ID. "It says you're calling me," he said as he scowled at Sephiroth.

"I left my phone with Ifalna after we called the mechanic…right before we headed off," Sephiroth explained. "Answer it. It could be important."

Angeal opened the phone and spoke into the receiver. "Mrs. Duran…? Yes, we're visiting with the doctor…you did? That's fantastic! …Oh, I see." He listened for a moment. "Alright, we'll be right over."

"What's going on?" Aerith asked as Angeal stood up and shoved the phone into his pocket.

"Your mom was able to heal Genesis' arm, but she said there's still something very wrong with him. She also said it concerns Sephiroth. She'll explain it all once we get to the house."

Sephiroth nodded as he and Aerith stood up as well. "Sorry we had to cut this visit short," he said.

"Your friend comes first," Dr. Triton told him. "I hope everything turns out all right."

"It was nice meeting you, Doctor," Angeal said as he shook the woman's hand. He followed Sephiroth and Aerith outside, and they began the walk back to the house.


	14. Chapter 3: Ripples On The Water

Shout-Outs:

badnephilim: Damn, I've been compared to George R.R. Martin! High praise indeed! Thanks. ;)

faunalind: Cosmo Canyon just seems to be the kind of place where Aerith would fit in with everyone and have a normal social life.

JazzQueen: Ifalna's memories are indeed the eponymous key to everything.

Greatazuredragon: We couldn't have an altered retelling of the FF7 compilation without Zack now, could we? And where there's Zack, a certain chocobo-headed young man isn't far behind…

catxangel: Don't forget there was another female who seemed to have a thing for Zack in Crisis Core… ;)

Arwynna Morrigu: Yeah, they joined SOLDIER, but you can already see they've became disillusioned much quicker. This is what happens when there's no heroes to set the precedent. Guess Zack's going to have to do all the work himself…

* * *

Chapter 3: Ripples on the Water

"I can only patch him up so much," Ifalna said as everyone sat in the living room. "There's something very wrong with his body. It's as if…he's not…held together properly."

Genesis sat comfortably on a chair, facing opposite of Ifalna, who sat on the other chair. Sephiroth, Angeal, and Aerith sat together on the sofa in between the two of them.

"With the wound gone, the sickness has slowed down," Ifalna went on, "but he's eventually going to start getting worse. What will happen, I can't be sure. This has been going on likely his whole life. And…all of this involves Jenova."

Sephiroth leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "How can you be sure?" he asked.

"I sense many of the same things about Genesis as I do you," Ifalna explained, "You have a similar feel that I get when any of my children walk into the room. It's likely that was how Jenova was able to assimilate into the Cetra civilization so long ago. The same feeling holds true for Genesis. Thankfully, neither of you have the same malevolence she possessed."

"How did you come to know so much about this creature if it supposedly was sealed away two-thousand years ago?" Angeal asked, having been briefed on Jenova years ago by Sephiroth.

"The Cetra's history with Jenova was relayed to me by the planet while I hid away from the Shinra at Icicle Inn eighteen years ago," Ifalna answered, "I then shared these bits of information with the man who looked after me during that time. Later, we fell in love and were married in a private ceremony. Then, nine months later, Aerith came along."

Aerith nodded, always interested to know more about her biological father.

"I didn't know your husband was from Icicle Inn," Angeal said, nodding his head at the large family portrait on the living room wall.

"Different man," Aerith corrected him, "The man in the picture _is_ my daddy. He adopted me when he married my mom. But my actual father was killed by members of the Shinra army, at the order of a horrible man…Professor Hojo."

"I noticed that Aerith looked nothing like your husband," said Genesis, "Sometimes genes only favor one parent. That's how I knew my parents weren't really mine, even before they told me that I was adopted. I didn't resemble either of them."

Sephiroth looked at Genesis. "You don't seem shocked to hear that you may share the same cells as myself…and Jenova."

"Correct," Genesis answered. "I always knew I was different from the other kids, but when I met Angeal and then you…I felt as though it no longer mattered. I had one small place where everything was fine: the company of my friends."

"Angeal…" Ifalna said as she turned to the dark-haired young man, "I…don't wish to alarm you, but I sense-,"

The front door opened, and in walked the twins, followed by Barnabas, who was carrying Gabe.

"Sephiroth!" Cassius exclaimed excitedly as he noticed the sword-wielding monk sitting on the couch. "Aerith said you might be showing up, but she never did explain why, or how she even knew!"

"Hello, Cassius," Sephiroth greeted the boy.

"Kids, would you mind playing out back?" Ifalna asked. She then looked at Barnabas, who was setting Gabe down. "Honey, would you mind getting dinner started tonight?"

Something in her eyes told Barnabas that something important was happening. "Of course," he said with a smile. "Who are your friends, Seph?"

"Angeal Hewley, sir," Angeal said as he stood up and walked over to Barnabas. The two shook hands.

"Genesis Rhapsodos," said Genesis with a wave.

"Ah, Sephiroth's friends," Barnabas realized. "Good to finally meet you."

"Wait, before you kids leave…" Sephiroth stood up and went to where his burlap bag was. He brought it over to the three younger kids and reached inside. He pulled out the nunchucks. "For Cassius…"

"Neato!" the boy shouted.

Sephiroth pulled out the ocarina and handed it to Carlie. "You mentioned the last time I visited that the one you already have is in the 'key of C'. I have no idea what that means, but I remembered, and I asked the shopkeeper for one in the key of…something else."

Carlie gave the instrument a quick "toot". Her face lit up. "It's in the key of 'A'," she said excitedly, "Thank you, Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth smiled, and then pulled out the stuffed chocobo, holding it out for Gabe.

"He stwanger…?" the toddler said uncertainly, looking up at Barnabas.

"No, no," Barnabas reassured his son, "Sephiroth's not a stranger. You met him last year. You don't remember?"

Gabe shook his head no.

"Well, Sephiroth is our friend, so it's okay for you to take the present," Barnabas explained.

A half-moon smile appeared on Gabe's face as he took the chocobo.

"What do you say, Gabe?" Ifalna reminded him.

"…Tank-you!" Gabe remembered.

"Thanks, Sephiroth," Cassius chimed in.

"You're all quite welcome," Sephiroth replied.

"Alright, now go outside and play while I get dinner ready," Barnabas said as he led the children away.

"I've lost my train of thought…" Ifalna muttered, frustrated.

"You had something to say to me," Angeal reminded her.

Ifalna suddenly looked worried. "Angeal…I sense the exact same thing about you…only you seem to be whole."

Angeal burst out laughing nervously. "That…that's not possible! Look, I can understand how that could be the case with Sephiroth, and even Genesis." He calmed down and continued to speak: "Who knows where Genesis _really_ came from? It was obviously a closed adoption, so anything could have happened. But how could I have something like Jenova cells without my folks being aware of it? If anything strange had happened, they would tell me."

"Well, perhaps we need to ask them directly," Sephiroth suggested, "It's possible that they've been lying by omission all these years. Genesis is right- we never were like the other children. We've always been faster, smarter, and stronger. Maybe it's fate that we met and became friends. After all…it seems as though all my friendships were fated."

He glanced at Ifalna, and then Aerith.

"'My friend, the fates are cruel…'," Genesis spoke somberly.

"I am getting very sick of that insipid poem, Genesis," Sephiroth groaned.

"All of this 'Jenova' business we're dealing with started with Shinra," said Genesis, "How much do you want to bet that the answers are there?"

"And we'll do what?" Sephiroth asked sarcastically, "Storm the Shinra Headquarters and demand answers? After what I did years ago, they've probably taken that possibility into consideration. Hojo probably has spent the last decade figuring out how to kill me. The company simply isn't interested in finding me, after all."

"What I want to know," said Angeal, "Is that if we were infused with Jenova cells, then why weren't we raised by the Shinra like Sephiroth was?"

"Your parents would never allow it to happen," Sephiroth pointed out. "My father was only too happy to sacrifice me on the altar of scientific progress. Is it possible that your parents are Shinra refugees as well?"

"Yes…" Angeal looked hopeful, "That must be it! That would explain why my parents didn't tell me. If they're trying to protect me…" He looked at Genesis. "Maybe your birth parents were willing to let you suffer the same fate as Sephiroth, and my parents stole you? Then they set you up with your family. Maybe this was done to my mother against her will…like…" He looked at Ifalna, and trailed off. "Oh god, what if my father isn't my real father but some scumbag Shinra worker they decided to 'breed' her with?"

Ifalna's fingers tightened around the armrests of her chair. She knew it was entirely possible.

Genesis shook his head. "That's all conjecture. We don't know _what_ the answers are. We need to find them out."

"He's right," Sephiroth said. "If we allow ourselves to get worked up over the worst-case scenario, we might as well give up all hope now. We need to find the truth, and all of it. 'Half-truths are the undoing of entire civilizations.'…"

Genesis chuckled. "You get on my case for quoting 'Loveless', but you're just as bad, if not worse, with quoting your monk tenets."

"Just seeing how you like it," Sephiroth retorted smarmily.

Ifalna smiled at the young men's banter. Those two really were Sephiroth's friends, and clearly meant a lot to him. Why else would he entrust his secrets to them and bring them to see her? She knew that it would be devastating for Sephiroth if anything were to happen to Genesis.

She then marveled silently at the divine providence that had clearly conspired to bring those three young men together. And then there was Aerith's dream, that spoke of Jenova's children. Now, here they were, sitting in her living room. She wondered if there were more people than just the three of them. Sephiroth had been SOLDIER's prototype, and despite his escaping from Shinra, enough work had been done that the company clearly had felt good about starting the program up without him.

SOLDIER had never sent anyone to Cosmo Canyon, though Genesis had told her about the checkpoint. Were they closing in? She also couldn't help but wonder if members of SOLDIER might have Jenova cells as well, even if they weren't injected in utero like Sephiroth. Jenova could regenerate, even in stasis. Shinra would be in no danger of running out of her DNA.

What if this involved _all_ of the members of SOLDIER…?

"Mom, are you okay?" Aerith asked, looking worriedly at her mother.

Ifalna sighed. "It's a lot to think about."

"One thing I don't quite understand," said Angeal, "Is Jenova itself. Jenova cells. I keep hearing that. But what _is_ Jenova, and where did it come from?"

"Jenova," Sephiroth explained, "is the name that a young intern named Faremis Gast gave to a perfectly preserved humanoid body that was found in the Northern Crater, by a team of archaeologists and scientists. He discovered it, and he named it. The team took the body back to Shinra's fledgling science department, where it was discovered that the cells had regenerative properties. It was eventually proposed that these cells could attach and fuse themselves to human cells, theoretically bestowing humans with said regenerative abilities. Therefore, it was assumed that Jenova was an Ancient, or Cetra; though now we know she was an extraterrestrial.

"One day, two scientists stepped forward. They were in a...romantic relationship, and had discovered they were expecting a child together. They offered their unborn child up to be injected with those cells. Of course, the mother was injected with them too so that she would be strong enough to deal with such a pregnancy. However, the cells had an adverse effect on her mind…it's still not clear to this day what happened to the mother except that she's dead. My guess is, she either died in labor, or in some asylum somewhere. As for the child…well…"

"You've told us enough about yourself to know that we're looking at that child right now," Angeal finished solemnly.

Sephiroth nodded.

Aerith spoke up: "I had a dream…or a vision, you could say…less than a week ago. The planet warned me of disasters that needed to be prevented. That Jenova wants her children…plural."

"I need to call my mother," Angeal said as he glanced at the clock. "No use in trying now. It's after midnight in Banora and everyone's asleep. First thing in the morning, though..."

"Ifalna, will Sephiroth's friends be staying for dinner?" Barnabas called out from the kitchen.

Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis looked at each other.

* * *

"More potatoes?" Ifalna held a dish out to Angeal.

"Thank you, ma'am," Angeal said as he took the dish and grabbed the spoon inside, heaping more scalloped potatoes onto his plate.

"Here's what Sephiroth gave me," Aerith said as she held up hew new Earth materia. "The rocks in the desert might be getting a bit of a makeover soon."

"See what you're about to unleash?" Barnabas said jokingly to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth shrugged indifferently as he chewed his food. Once he swallowed, a small smile could be seen on his face.

"I'm already learning how to use my present," Cassius announced, "Seph, you really know how to match a person up with the right weapon. These nunchucks are awesome! I've already mastered the figure-8 swing just from practicing this past hour. What about Carlie? Whaddaya think she should fight with?"

"Fight what?" Carlie protested, "I'm not marching off to war. Don't drag me into your fighting games."

"Sephiroth, what brings you and your friends to Cosmo Canyon?" Barnabas asked, "Aerith called the temple and was told that one of your friends was sick. Both your companions seem to be fine, however."

"I'm the one who's ill," Genesis piped up, pouring himself a glass of apple juice from a large pitcher.

"I was able to cure one of the symptoms," Ifalna explained, "But he's still not well."

"He just acts tough," Angeal joked. He then went on: "Anyway, Sephiroth figured if Cetra healing can't save him, what else can?"

Sephiroth nodded. "I have confidence that Ifalna will at least be able to point us in the right direction. We won't return until Genesis is his old self again."

"Your not-so-secret admirer will be disappointed when you don't return to Mideel," Genesis said, grinning mockingly.

Sephiroth shot him a withering glare.

"Oh my, a potential love interest?" Ifalna teased Sephiroth, "Please, do tell! What's the lucky lady's name?"

Aerith froze.

At that, Genesis burst out laughing. Angeal put a hand to his face, trying(badly) to cover up the huge grin on his face.

"Christopher," Sephiroth answered uncomfortably, already wondering if he had made a mistake of admitting that to her.

Barnabas looked around awkwardly.

"Oh…" was all Ifalna could manage. Then, "So, um…"

Cassius was howling with laughter now, mostly at being able to see both of his parents squirming. Carlie buried her face in her arms, but her shoulders were quaking in silent mirth. Aerith tilted her head at Sephiroth.

"I'm _not_ interested," he stated flatly, glaring at Genesis for having brought it up. "Not in him, or any other man."

Aerith suddenly let out a huge breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Wait…she wondered...why was that so important to her?

"It's not so bad," Genesis teased his friend, "It's a harmless crush. Big deal. It's happened to me twice. Guys are just more forward in their advances than girls usually are. And we _are_ quite pretty, me and Sephiroth. Angeal, not so much. What do you think, Aerith?"

Angeal fought the urge to throw a piece of potato at Genesis.

"You _would_ look positively _gorgeous _in a dress," Aerith said jokingly to Genesis.

"Why thank you," Genesis said with false modestly.

"She would know," Carlie giggled, "Mom told me when Cass and I were about two years old, Aerith took-!"

"Shut up, Carlie!" Cassius panicked.

Aerith, realizing what her sister was going to announce, couldn't help but snicker.

"She put one of- mmph!" Carlie began before her brother clamped his hand firmly on her mouth.

"YECH!" Cassius shrieked as he jerked his arm away two seconds later and wiped it with a napkin. "She licked my hand!"

"Aerith-dressed-Cass-up-in-one-of-my-dresses-and-Mom-has-a-picture-of-it!" Carlie quickly said as she batted her brother's hands away from her face.

"Oh, I can't _wait_ till you're not paying attention, Carlie…!" Cassius seethed.

"All right!" Ifalna said wearily. "Kids, you seem to be all done, why don't you wait in the living room for dessert?"

The twins stood up and pushed in their chairs.

"It won't be tonight," Cassius warned Carlie as they left the dining room, "It'll be when you least expect it…"

"Will those who are grateful to be an only child please raise their hands?" Genesis asked before raising his hand.

Angeal and Sephiroth raised their hands as well.

"Dessert?" Gabe questioned.

"Soon, kiddo," Barnabas assured the little boy. He opened up the hi-chair and took Gabe out, setting him down. "Go play with your brother and sister, alright?"

Gabe ran off excitedly toward the living room.

"The pies should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes," said Ifalna, pointing her thumb at the counter behind her. Two chocolate creme pies sat side-by-side, cooling off next to the open window.

"I might have a little room for pie," Angeal said happily, patting his stomach.

"We could go for a walk until then," Aerith suggested to Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis.

"Sounds good to me," Genesis grunted as he stood up and reached for his dishes.

"Oh, don't bother!" Aerith reached over and took them instead. "It's my turn to clear the table. I'll be along in a bit."

Genesis nodded and left the dining room. Sephiroth and Angeal followed.

Aerith began collecting all of the dishes and carried them over to the kitchen sink. When she came back to grab the remainders, her parents were still siting at the table.

"We'll get our own dishes," Barnabas told her, "Your mother and I are just going to talk here for a moment."

Aerith nodded. She imagined her mother would be filling her stepfather in on everything that had happened that day. She moved to leave.

"Oh, and Aerith?" Ifalna said.

Her daughter turned around expectantly.

"I just rounded up the clothes for tomorrow's laundry before we started eating," said Ifalna, "Your training clothes were soaked. Drenched, rather. They didn't stink, so it's safe to assume it wasn't sweat."

Aerith's eyes were practically bugging out of her face as she gestured widely with her arms. "BIIIIIIIIIG rain clouds, Mom! Black as night, and they…!"

She trailed off as she saw the less-than-amused look on her parents' faces.

"I fell in the fountain…" she muttered, hanging her head, "In the Geomancer's Grotto."

"Interesting…" Barnabas said, turning to Ifalna, "I saw Auryn's grandmother, and Drake and Cole's father this afternoon. They reported very similar stories: their kids came back from Ground Jiu-Jitsu soaked to the skin, and they _all_ 'accidentally' fell in the fountain."

"That's _very_ interesting…" Ifalna said to her husband.

"Indeed," Barnabas agreed.

"The _truth_, young lady..." Ifalna demanded.

"We had a water-war," Aerith admitted, "We jumped in the fountain."

Ifalna groaned and rested her head in her hands. "Aerith, you're seventeen years old. I would think you'd have learned by now that the Grotto is _not_ a play area…"

"It was over a hundred degrees!" Aerith whined, "We only splashed around for a couple minutes!"

"And if the elders had caught you, they would have had your hide," Barnabas reminded her.

Aerith seemed to deflate. "Yes, sir…" she said, looking chastised.

"The Grotto is sacred," Ifalna added, "Playing in the fountain is tantamount to desecration as far as the elders are concerned. Don't let me hear of you doing something like that again."

"Okay…" Aerith said, defeated. She left the dining room.

"Kids…" Barnabas chuckled.

"Can you imagine if someone like Elder Hargo had caught them wading around in the fountain?" Ifalna laughed, "I'd wipe myself out trying to heal _that _heart attack…"

* * *

"So that's why you looked like you were auditioning for a surfing movie earlier today…" Sephiroth said with a smirk as Aerith entered the kitchen.

Aerith turned bright red as she put the rest of the glasses and plates in the sink. "You heard? …I must seem like some little kid to you…"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No," he said, "you don't. I'm not like some great aunt at a family reunion who blathers on about how much someone has grown and then treats them like a child. I meant what I said about you having grown up. Obviously, the planet agrees, if it's preparing you for something as dangerous as Jenova."

Aerith decided to change the subject, not wanting to discuss the scolding _or_ her vision. "Are the others ready?"

"Genesis suddenly felt ill," Sephiroth told her. "He's resting on the sofa in the living room. Angeal's watching over him to make sure he doesn't keel over. Your brother and sister went to their rooms."

"They're a pain sometimes, the twins," Aerith said with a smile, "but they can be considerate at times, too. I suppose Genesis could use some peace and quiet. Why don't we go out back?"

"How much more has the grass spread this past year?" Sephiroth asked as he followed Aerith to the sliding glass door.

"See for yourself," Aerith said as she opened the door. They stepped outside into the back yard together.

"Amazing…" Sephiroth breathed as he looked around. "The greenery here gets more luscious every time I come to visit."

"Well, now that there's five Cetra living here instead of two, the grass just keeps spreading," said Aerith. She walked over to a tiny tree, which stood several feet away from two taller ones. "I'm guessing you saw this little guy when you visited last year."

"I was told it was planted when Gabe was born," said Sephiroth.

"It's a Cetra tradition," said Aerith. She then giggled. "Well, sort of. It's a family tradition, but since our family makes up the entire known Cetra civilization, you could call it a Cetra tradition. It started when Mom and I first started moving our stuff into the house. One night, Mom and I stayed out here for hours, meditating on a large blanket. The next morning, all of the rock broke down into several square feet of soil."

Sephiroth nodded. "She told me she had met a traveling merchant who was on his way to Nibelheim, and then Rocket Town. She bought a seed from him, and planted it."

"She told me it represented the marriage between her and Daddy," Aerith went on, "She planted it the night before the wedding. The residents were always so impressed with how quickly it grew. They said it was a sign of the love between the two of them. I told her I wanted to plant a tree too, and she thought it was an excellent idea. So when the merchant came through again only a couple months later, she bought another seed."

She walked over to the tree that she often sat underneath. "You already know this one is mine, and the one that represents my parents is the one in the front-,"

"Which Angeal nearly knocked down when his truck died…" Sephiroth groaned, "I apologize for that."

Aerith giggled. "I think his truck would have been the one with the serious damage had it crashed into it," she explained, "You see, these trees are quite resilient. After all, who ever saw any trees growing in the rocky soil of Cosmo Canyon? It's like flowers growing in the slums of Midgar."

"Your family creates miracles," Sephiroth said, smiling appreciatively.

Aerith looked slightly embarrassed at the compliment. "When the twins were born…" she pointed at the two small trees that stood nearby, close to one another. "…we planted these side-by-side so they'd grow up together just like Cassius and Carlie. They used to be so close, but now they're kind of drifting apart."

"Pre-adolescence," said Sephiroth, "They're just trying to find their own identities is all. The bond is still there, I'm sure. Your's is a very close-knit family."

Aerith nodded. "I like the idea of these trees representing us," she said, "They'll be around long after we're gone. I'm glad." She touched her tree and closed her eyes. "If I fail, there will at least be this tree left."

Sephiroth looked alarmed. "What are you talking about, Aerith?" he asked suspiciously.

"When I got that vision…" Aerith explained uneasily, "I saw my own death…as a possibility…one of the things that I was warned about-,"

"-I won't let that happen!" Sephiroth interjected, "Never. I've known you since you were less than a month old. I'll be damned if I ever let anything happen to you."

"Hmm…" Aerith smiled playfully. "So does that mean you'd be my bodyguard while I go help save the world?"

"Absolutely," Sephiroth answered seriously.

Aerith looked taken aback. "Really?"

Mako eyes stared at her, full of resolve. "Of course."

"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about," Aerith said, looking truly relieved. She then began walking back to the door. "Stay right here," she said happily, "I've got a present for you too."

"All right," Sephiroth said as he watched her go back inside. He looked around the yard, noticing the moon, already high in the sky, and illuminating everything around him. He went to the chair that sat underneath Aerith's tree and sat down, making himself comfortable.

A minute later, Aerith came back outside, holding a canvas. It was a 16x20-inch oil painting of Sephiroth. He was dressed in black, including a black pair of shoulder pauldrons, and posed with Masamune.

"You captured me perfectly," Sephiroth whispered in amazement, "The stance…the perspective…the lighting…the colors…it's wonderful. Why black, though?" He glanced at the grey monk robes he currently wore, which would have almost matched his hair once the black dye came out. He then made a mental note to take a shower once he went inside.

"Because," Aerith said, "I thought about it for a while, and those robes just don't do you justice. Honestly, I don't think they go with your sword at all. I tried different colors on a test canvas, and black just ended up being the best one."

"I'd like to find a frame for this tomorrow," Sephiroth told her as he held up the painting. "I'm sure we'll have time."

"I'm glad you like it," Aerith said happily.

Sephiroth drew her into his arms. Aerith immediately wrapped her own arms around his waist, looking surprised, but pleased.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Sephiroth vowed solemnly.

"You never have," Aerith told him.

"I can see why the planet chose you," Sephiroth said solemnly, "You're becoming wise beyond your years. I wouldn't worry about still wanting to play around every once in a while. Adulthood is a frightening thing. I don't blame you for wanting to hold onto your childhood as long as you can. I have confidence in you, Aerith. I could see you becoming like the paladins of long ago: brave…honest, and willing to fight for what you believe in."

"I'm still scared," Aerith confessed.

"That's natural," Sephiroth reassured her.

Aerith looked up at Sephiroth, and saw in his eyes the same confidence she always saw, ever since she was a little girl. Even then, she thought his eyes were beautiful. She could still remember when she was four and had asked him if he would trade her his eyes for hers…it was rather embarrassing to think about it now. She still couldn't help looking into his eyes…only…something felt different…

Suddenly, the door opened and the twins came running out, laughing loudly, with Cassius' grudge clearly forgotten. Gabe followed, screeching loudly.

Aerith and Sephiroth immediately jumped away from each other like shrapnel from an exploding bomb.

"Gabe's the monster!" Carlie giggled as she backed away from the little boy.

"Oh, is he?" Aerith had quickly recovered and made her way over to her baby brother. "You know what happens to monsters?"

Gabe bared his teeth at his eldest sister and screeched again.

"They get _tickled!_" Aerith exclaimed as she grabbed him and began tickling him mercilessly. Gabe instantly broke character, shrieking with laughter.

"Oh, _ho!_" Cassius gloated, "And the monster is vanquished!"

"Good triumphs again!" Carlie added.

Sephiroth smiled at the scene, slipping back into the house. Knowing what she faced in the near future, he was glad to see her enjoy the final moments of her childhood. Planet knew she could use it.

* * *

"Well?" Genesis prodded the next morning, as everyone sat in the dining room, eating breakfast. "Did you reach your folks?"

Angeal shook his head. "No answer. I'll try again later. It's Sunday. My mother usually goes grocery shopping on Sundays anyway, while my father goes fishing with his friends. I'll try again in a couple hours."

"How are you feeling, Genesis?" Carlie asked.

"Tired, but my arm not hurting is a huge relief," Genesis answered as he reached for a piece of bacon. "Thank you for asking, Carlie."

"Tell me about Avalanche, sir," Angeal said to Barnabas, "How much access to Shinra's secrets do they have?"

"Kids, you look like you're done eating," Ifalna said to the twins, "Gabe seems to be done as well, so why don't you two take him out back to play?"

"How come you're not kicking Aerith out?" Carlie asked.

"Yeah- you're talking about Avalanche stuff," Cassius pointed out.

"Aerith is finally old enough," said Ifalna, "I know we said you can listen once you turn eighteen, but something…special has happened."

"Believe me, it's nothing to be jealous over," Aerith insisted.

The twins got up from the table. Cassius went over to Gabe and let him down from his hi-chair. Together, the three children left the dining room.

Barnabas finished the last of his orange juice and set his glass down before answering Angeal's question: "Mostly we use our inside people to jam up information. That's how we've managed to get the upper hand in the Wutai War. Granted, until now, we haven't had any idea of what kind of info we should really look for."

"Avalanche is aiding Wutai?" Genesis asked, "Interesting…"

"We fight against the Shinra wherever they cause trouble," said Barnabas, "Wutai just happens to be the place that needs our help the most."

"You know…" Angeal confessed, "…if we hadn't met Sephiroth, there's a good chance we might have been fighting against each other. He was the one who clued us in as far as how rotten Shinra really is."

"If you two had been fighting for the Shinra, we really might have been in trouble," Barnabas admitted, "Sephiroth tells me you two are an even match for him.

"I'd like to introduce you to our leader. A man like you would be a valuable asset to our cause."

"It would be an honor, sir," said Angeal.

"I don't think my wife would want you up and about fighting," Barnabas said to Genesis, as Ifalna nodded in agreement. "But once whatever's wrong with you is taken care of, I would love to extend the same invitation to you. All the same, you're welcome to meet our leader as well."

Genesis nodded, looking quite pleased.

"Ifalna told me everything last night," Barnabas went on, "I wonder how many secrets the Shinra science department holds. Now, we don't have any spies working for that particular area, but…we do have a young hacker from Sector Seven in Midgar whose services we occasionally employ. I'll be sure to contact her at today's meeting…"

* * *

Aerith stepped into the meeting hall, which was already filled with over two-dozen people. It was an extra room inside their town hall, which was located underground, next to the library. She had never seen this room before, and was surprised with how small it was. In the back of the room was a large computer monitor, which contrasted with the mostly low-tech lifestyle of Cosmo Canyon. Indeed, Aerith's family didn't even own a TV set.

She glanced at Barnabas, who smiled sadly at her. She had been surprised at his invitation to come to the meeting, knowing he would never want her to get involved. But she knew he was now completely aware of what was going on; that the planet has chosen her to investigate "Jenova's children". Avalanche would be the best way to help her, as reluctant as he was. He had chosen to be reasonable, rather than resistant and over-protective.

Aerith walked up to him. "Thanks for doing this, Daddy," she said, "I suppose this will all give Avalanche some new direction in the fight against the Shinra.

Barnabas nodded, although his expression was grin. "Can't blame a guy for worrying about his little girl, though," he said as he touched her shoulder. "Sit anywhere you like, darlin'."

Aerith nodded and took a seat in between Sephiroth and Elfé. Angeal and Genesis sat behind the two girls, and Aerith quietly introduced Elfé to the two other swordsmen. Pleasantries and handshakes were exchanged, and right after that, Terrato stepped into the center of the room, thus quieting everyone down.

"We have some new faces here," Terrato announced, "Many of you already know Barnabas' daughter Aerith. We also have Sephiroth Crescent, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos. Please give them a warm welcome, as they no doubt will prove to be a great asset to our cause."

The room burst into applause. Aerith, embarrassed, slid down a little in her seat, feeling her face and neck growing hot. Sephiroth and his friends managed polite smiles in response to the attention.

"Barnabas and I received word that Shinra's science department should be looked into, and as a result, we will be launching a new investigation into their matters. I have our Sector Seven contact on standby. Barnabas, if you would please…?"

Barnabas sat down at terminal, launching the video chat program, and dialing a number. Everyone watched the monitor as the dial-up screen appeared, and the standby sound effects chimed.

Suddenly, the image of a teenaged girl about the same age as Aerith appeared on the screen. She pushed a lock of brown hair out of her face and waved. "Hey, there," she greeted everyone.

"Afternoon, Majestica," Barnabas greeted the girl.

"No, no, no…" Elfé muttered, anticipating what would happen next.

Aerith stared at her, confused.

The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I _told_ you not to call me that!" she snapped, "I hate that name, and as soon as I turn eighteen, I'm getting it legally changed! It's bad enough my parents had to die in that stupid military raid when I was four, but they _had_ to go and leave me with that god-awful name-!"

"-Sorry, sorry," Barnabas interjected wearily. "Good afternoon, _Jessie_."

Jessie sighed, as if her ranting had sapped her energy. "_Thank_ you. Now, was that so hard to remember?"

Elfé shook her head and leaned in next to Aerith. "Jessie's really a total sweetheart," she whispered, "She just hates it when people call her by her real name. One other problem is that she only listens to about 80% of what you say. It's why we only use her for technology related tasks. If anybody put her on the front lines, I'd give her about six months to live."

"Here's what's going on…" said Barnabas, "We've discovered that Shinra's science department may be playing a far greater role than just researching the potential of mako when it comes to powering people's homes. I want you to start focusing your energy on the science department, and I want you to include the following name in your search: Jenova."

"Jenova…" Jessie frowned. "Who's that?"

"The possible key to the mystery of SOLDIER, and how we might win the Wutai War once and for all," Terrato answered, stepping in front of the screen.

"Hi, Master Terrato," Jessie greeted. "Okay…how do you spell that? G-A-N…?"

"No, no…" Terrato began to correct her.

"She's also a terrible speller," Elfé whispered to Aerith.

The demi-Cetra couldn't help but giggle.

"…O-V-A…" Terrato finished.

Jessie finished scribbling the name down on a piece of paper. She then began tying a red bandana around her forehead. "Got it. I'll let you know first thing tomorrow how I'm progressing."

"Thank you, Jessie," Terrato said. He then pushed a button, ending the call.

Aerith stifled a gasp. That was the same girl from her dream! She was the one who was crushed with the two young men!

"You okay?" Elfé whispered.

The younger girl nodded unconvincingly.

Just then, the door opened. One of the young men that had been standing guard outside the meeting hall entered with two large bags of Wutain take-out.

Barnabas grinned at the newcomers. "Lunch time!" he announced.

"Eat heartily, everyone!" Terrato urged.

"I'll be right back," Angeal said as he stood up and began to walk to the door, taking his PHS out.

Aerith watched him, his back turned to her, and felt a lump in her throat as she realized he now bore a striking resemblance to the SOLDIER ghost in her dream.

"It's already happening…" Aerith whispered as everyone began swarming around the bags of food.

Elfé returned to her seat, carrying two boxes of dumplings. She held one out to Aerith, silently inviting the girl to dig in.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry…" Aerith muttered.

* * *

Angeal frowned as he hung up his PHS, standing outside where he could get the best reception. He still hadn't reached his parents. What was worse was that they could only afford a landline, and no voice mail. If they weren't home, they would have no idea he had called, much less know that he really needed to talk to them.

"Hey, any luck?" Genesis called out as he stepped outside.

Angeal shook his head, looking worried now.

Genesis regarded his friend sympathetically. "Hey, don't worry about it. If we can't reach them by the end of the day, we'll call my house. Maybe one of the servants can head over to your place and see what's going on."

"Thanks, Genesis," Angeal said as he walked back to the tunnel. The two walked down the stone stairway leading back to the meeting hall.

"Sephiroth's saving us the sweet & sour chicken," said Genesis, "Thankfully this thing isn't affecting my appetite. They're discussing Wutai right now."

"Genesis…" Angeal glanced at his friend. "What do you think about all of this business with Avalanche?"

The red-head smiled as they stopped outside the meeting hall. "I think it could be the ticket for becoming a hero. Don't you?"

Angeal chuckled as the guard opened the door for them. "I should have known you'd say something like that…"

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident. Ifalna used healing magic to ease Genesis' malaise, hoping that any little bit might help his overall condition. It hadn't, but Genesis was grateful nonetheless. He found that he could now sleep easier, without suffering the bouts of nausea that had begun to plague him a few weeks ago. That was enough to make him happy.

Angeal continued to try calling his parents, but to no avail. Genesis called his parents, only for the maid to inform him that they were out visiting his mother's sister. Sephiroth offered to take Angeal's mind off of his troubles by walking through the desert with him. The pair had busied themselves slaying several Skeeskees and collecting their feathers, not exchanging a single word all the while. After the area was clear, they dueled, like they always had during their monster hunts. When Angeal disarmed Sephiroth, thus ending the fight with him as the winner, the two looked up a the night sky. A shooting star streaked through the darkness, past the full moon.

"Gonna make a wish?" Angeal asked.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

As he closed his eyes in jest, he suddenly visualized Aerith, wearing that lovely halter top…

No. That was one wish he would not allow himself to make. He could envision Ifalna's fury if she were to ever know of the thoughts that had been creeping into his mind. Years ago, when he had visited Cosmo Canyon to attend Ifalna's wedding, he had finally gathered enough courage to talk about the incident near the harbor, when he had struck her in a fit of rage. He had begged Ifalna to strike him back, to ease his mind. She had said nothing. When he had closed his eyes and urged her, bracing himself for her open palm, or even a fist(he would have preferred that even more), she simply leaned in on her toes(he already stood about two inches taller back then) and gave him a kiss on the forehead, as he had done to Aerith when he first left for the temple. She had laughed and declared them to be even.

Sephiroth shook his head. Ifalna was not a violent person for the most part, but he had seen her get vicious only once, when a Shinra employee actually slapped the then-three-year-old Aerith for misbehaving(thus giving the girl her initial fear of strangers, due to the assumption that any grown-up might strike her). Her mother had tackled the man and managed to get in a few good hits before she was dragged away by a pair of guards to face the consequences. Aerith had been put under the care of a bored-looking female intern, and a very shaken Ifalna was returned to her apartment the next morning. Sephiroth knew she would have done it again in a heartbeat…for Aerith's sake.

"You okay?" Angeal asked Sephiroth, noting the nervous expression on his friend's face.

"Fine," he answered. He looked at the raven-haired swordsman. "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that question?"

"I'm all tired out thanks to the beating you gave me," Angeal chuckled, "It'll make sleeping a lot easier."

"I won't keep you, then," Sephiroth said as he began to head back to town. Angeal followed him.

"I really like this family," Angeal commented as the two walked together. "Mrs. Duran…she's kind of like the only mother you've ever really had, isn't she?"

"Yes," Sephiroth agreed, "She is."

"How did you two get to know each other, if I might ask?" Angeal wanted to know.

Sephiroth took a deep breath, and then let it out. He supposed it wouldn't do any harm to tell his friend.

"I was eight years old at the time," he said, "and I had discovered that I could crawl around in the vents…"

* * *

Genesis took out his phone as he sat on the sofa the next morning. Everyone had just finished eating breakfast, and the living room was empty for now. Ifalna was off meditating before her shift at the hospital would start, and Barnabas had already headed off to fix somebody's stove. Cassius was in the back yard practicing with his nunchucks, and Carlie's new ocarina could be heard from outside as well. Aerith was in the kitchen reading Gabe a story. Angeal had already called his parents, but again, there was no answer. He and Sephiroth were outside with the mechanic, who had finally arrived to fix the truck, having been away all weekend.

He called his parents' house and waited. Instead of hearing the sound of the phone ringing, however, he heard the following recorded message:

_"The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again. If you feel you have reached this message in error…"_

Genesis stared at his PHS in confusion. How was that possible? He hadn't dialed by hand and pressed a wrong number. He had used his contact list. Still, he dialed again, this time by hand.

_"The number you have dialed is-"_

He hung up again and stood up, walking over to the kitchen.

"See your face upon the clean water!" Aerith read from a pop-up book as she sat at the kitchen table. Gabe sat in her lap, hanging onto her every word. "How dirty! Come! Wash your face!" She turned the page, and a stone well popped out. "This is a well. You might think that there is something to it, but in fact, it is an ordinary well."

"I climb inside!" Gabe suggested.

"Now why would you do that?" Aerith asked, amused.

"'Cause," Gabe answered.

Aerith smiled. That was Gabe's answer for everything lately.

"I used to love that book when I was a little boy," Genesis remarked as he saw the book Aerith held.

Aerith smiled, but her expression faded. "Are you okay, Genesis? You seem worried."

"My parents' number isn't in service," Genesis answered, "Good thing the truck is getting fixed right now. I think we should go back to Mideel. Something isn't right."

"Hold on," Aerith urged him, "Maybe there's an explanation for that. Could there be a storm going on that's causing a power outage?"

"Maybe," Genesis said restlessly, "Is the library open yet? I'd like to check the Worldwide Network."

Aerith shook her head. "Not for another hour."

Genesis sighed. "And you don't own a TV either…"

"TV's nice when you're only allowed to move within a certain perimeter," said Aerith. "But ever since Mom and I escaped Midgar, we haven't missed it."

Genesis turned away, unable to shake the bad feeling he had.

"The newspaper should be arriving any minute now," Aerith reassured him, "Just hang tight. I can make you some tea if you'd like."

Genesis shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll just go get some fresh air."

He walked out of the kitchen. A moment later, Aerith heard the front door slam.

Just then, the back door slid open and the twins entered. Worried, about Genesis, Aerith closed the book and put Gabe down.

"Noooo!" the three-year-old protested, "You not done!"

"Cass…please, can you read to Gabe?" Aerith asked.

Cassius rolled his eyes. "What, so you can go run off with your boyfriend?"

"What are you talking about?" Aerith asked defensively.

"You're like Sephiroth's little shadow," Cassius teased his older sister. "Even when I was little I remember you always tagging along with him the last time he was here when you were around. Then when you missed out on seeing him last year, you practically threw a tantrum!"

"I did not!" Aerith said, annoyed.

Carlie began to giggle.

"You too, Carlie?" Aerith asked disappointedly.

"Stowy!" Gabe demanded.

Cassius rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said as he took the book, opened it up and began to recite: "Once upon a time, they all lived happily ever after! The end!"

"No! Bad stowy!" Gabe shouted angrily.

Aerith snatched the book from Cassius' hands and promptly smacked him over the head with it.

"Ow!" Cassius whined.

"Jerk," Aerith said as she dropped the book and walked out of the kitchen.

Gabe picked up the book, and began swinging it at Cassius.

"Hey! Whaddaya think you're doing?!" the ten-year-old protested.

"Jerk!" Gabe said loudly as he kept hitting his brother with the book.

Carlie burst out laughing.

"MOOOOOM…!"

* * *

"It won't be too long before we have this baby up and running again," the mechanic said cheerfully as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

"That is the best news I've heard all day," Genesis declared as he approached the truck.

"You've only been up for a little over an hour," Sephiroth pointed out.

"My parents' number is 'no longer in service'," Genesis announced.

"Oh no…" Angeal muttered.

Genesis nodded. "Right? I think we should go back to Mideel. I can go on for a bit while we check the situation back there."

"Hang on." Sephiroth held up his hand. "Maybe there's a power outage. I say we keep trying. One the library opens, we can check the weather on the Worldwide Network, or-,"

"-What about Carlos?" Angeal asked, "Don't you have him on speed-dial for when something breaks down?"

"Of course!" Genesis realized.

"Who's Carlos?" Aerith wanted to know as she approached the group.

"My family's gardener and personal handyman," Genesis answered as he took out his PHS. He then stopped as he noticed a boy riding by on a mountain bike, which had a large two-sided basket attached to the back wheel.

Aerith waved at the boy as he approached. He waved back, grabbed a rolled-up newspaper, and tossed it, where it landed on the front steps. Genesis put his phone away and went over to the steps to pick it up. The moment he looked at it, his eyes widened in horror.

* * *

The planet had spoken.

Ifalna's eyes opened and she stood up, having been in a deep trance as she sat in her "thinking chair" next to the bed she and Barnabas shared. Whenever the back yard wasn't available for meditating in, she would sit in the master bedroom, in the cozy little chair that she had bought years ago, when she and Barnabas were first married.

The Lifestream. The image of it was as clear as if it had truly been right in front of her. The very essence of all life, the swirling green mass could be condensed into the wonders known as materia. But the Lifestream could be summoned, and she had seen the place where it could be done. She remembered it all too well, because it was her first memory, from nearly twenty years ago:

The abandoned city…up north…not far from snow-capped mountains, and…the Northern Crater…where the Calamity had crashed into.

She had asked the planet how she would summon the Lifestream to help Genesis. It had answered thus: Ifalna would not be the one to summon it. The chosen one would. Ifalna understood.

Aerith.

She would have to leave Cosmo Canyon, and travel far away. Ifalna could already feel the knot in her stomach.

_My baby..._

A soft hum reached her ears, and she smiled, knowing the planet was reassuring her. Yes, she trusted the planet's judgment, and it had judged that the Lifestream itself would save Genesis. She smiled triumphantly.

He would live.

It was Aerith's horrified scream, however, that sent Ifalna running out of the bedroom, down the hallway, into the living room, and out the front door.

"COME BACK!" Angeal yelled from a few hundred feet away from the house, "GENESIS!"

Ifalna looked around, but the young invalid was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell was that?!" the frightened mechanic exclaimed.

Sephiroth could only stare at the horizon in stunned silence as Angeal came running back to them.

"What happened?" Ifalna asked, alarmed.

"Someone's going to shoot him down if they see him!" Aerith exclaimed.

"…Somehow, I doubt he'll let that happen," Angeal said, "I'm more worried about the damage he'll cause…not the other way around. He seemed almost…crazed."

"It was whatever was in the newspaper!" Aerith said as she ran over to the mess that had once been the morning paper. She began sorting through it, trying to find some sort of clue as to what would cause that kind of panicked behavior.

"What's going on?!" Ifalna shouted.

"He flew off…!" the mechanic exclaimed in a panic, "He grew one large, black wing, and he flew off!"

Ifalna stared, not comprehending what was just said.

"It's true," Sephiroth declared wearily. "I could scarcely believe my own eyes, but what happened was true. The newspaper was delivered just a moment ago. Genesis picked it up, became agitated, and took off…with a wing, no less."

"Mom!" Aerith cried out as she ran to her mother, clutching a piece of newspaper in her hand. She held it out to Ifalna, whose eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no…" Ifalna whispered as she saw the headlines.

_BANORA LANDLORD SUSPECTED OF TERRORISM; ESTATE BOMBED, NO SURVIVORS, _it read.


End file.
